Norma Torres’ Unfair Analysis of the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Collision: A Misguided Blame Game

In the aftermath of the tragic midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport that claimed the lives of at least 67 people, Democratic Rep. Norma Torres of California has chosen to politicize the tragedy in a way that seems both premature and unfounded. While investigations are still ongoing, Torres has quickly jumped to conclusions, placing blame squarely on President Donald Trump’s actions, specifically the executive order instituting a federal hiring freeze and the firing of key agency heads. However, her analysis overlooks critical facts and misrepresents the role these actions could have played in such a devastating accident.

Late Wednesday night and early Thursday morning, Torres took to Twitter, seeming to connect President Trump’s policies to the aviation disaster. Her tweets suggested that the president’s recent executive actions, particularly those related to the federal hiring freeze and the removal of high-level agency officials, played a role in the collision. However, there is no evidence to support such claims, and a White House official was quick to debunk the assertion. According to the official, the hiring freeze did not impact air traffic controllers, who were explicitly exempt from the order.

“It’s heartless and cruel of online figures to politicize this tragedy with dozens dead by searching for any angle to attack the President,” the White House official shared with reporters. “The politics of DC this week had zero impact on day-to-day work of air traffic control or the flow of aircraft. Air traffic controllers do not turn over with new administrations.”

Despite this clarification, Torres remained steadfast in her stance. In a statement shared with the media, she stated that Trump’s actions are leading the country down a “dangerous path” that could put American lives at further risk. She added, “We must thoroughly investigate what happened — families and the flying public deserve answers. This tragedy was avoidable.”

Praying for the families and demanding answers. https://t.co/uY0EzWj2s1 pic.twitter.com/I8agtUnM8b

— Norma Torres (@Norma4Congress) January 30, 2025

Jumping To Conclusions Doesn’t Help Anyone

This rhetoric, while understandable in the context of wanting answers, seems premature given the facts at hand. At the time of the accident, there was no indication that air traffic control was under-resourced, and as noted earlier, air traffic controllers are not subject to the same turnover as other government employees when a new president takes office. Moreover, former Department of Transportation Inspector General Mary Schiavo was quoted as saying, “Air traffic controllers do not come and go with the change of an administration… the politics of the situation should have had no impact whatsoever on air traffic controllers.”

What makes Torres’ analysis even more questionable is her attempt to link the president’s actions to the aviation disaster in the first place. While it’s true that the president made changes within key agencies, such as firing the heads of the Coast Guard and the TSA and disbanding an aviation security advisory committee, it’s important to note that the TSA, which Torres referenced, is overseen by the Department of Homeland Security and has no direct jurisdiction over air traffic control. Air traffic control, and by extension the safety of flights, falls under the purview of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), not the TSA. Therefore, insinuating that these decisions contributed to the crash is misleading at best.

Torres’ insistence on drawing connections between Trump’s actions and the disaster stands in stark contrast to the approach of some of her fellow Democrats. Virginia Rep. Don Beyer, for instance, who represents the district encompassing Reagan National Airport, expressed a more measured response. At a press conference Thursday morning, Beyer emphasized unity among lawmakers in addressing the tragedy, noting that both Republicans and Democrats were coming together to support the victims’ families and ensure proper responses.

I will absolutely demand answers. All of the families deserve answers.

Trump Guts Key Aviation Safety Committee, Fires Heads Of TSA, Coast Guardhttps://t.co/tnO36mPs9u#TRUMP #Chaos https://t.co/6wsUUBNzfC

— Norma Torres (@Norma4Congress) January 30, 2025

The collision itself, between an American Airlines jetliner and an Army Blackhawk helicopter, is believed to be the worst aviation disaster on U.S. soil since 2009. Confirmed reports suggest that no one survived, making it one of the most fatal aviation incidents since 9/11. With such heavy loss of life, it’s understandable that lawmakers and the public would seek answers, but jumping to conclusions and making political accusations before the investigation has even begun does a disservice to both the victims and the American public.

On Donald Trump’s part, he was quick to demand answers after the tragedy hit the news. He put the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) on blast for putting an emphasis on political issues rather than efficiency and clearly safety. He said the FAA was run “into the ground” with “diversity” nonsense during a White House Press Briefing.

Who do you think is responsible for the tragic plane and helicopter crash? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.