On only his second day in office, President Donald Trump fired the heads of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Coast Guard, disbanded the Aviation Security Advisory Committee and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and froze hiring of Air Traffic Controllers. In addition to the removal of these important figures in aviation, Trump also signed an executive order titled “Keeping Americans Safe in Aviation” which orders the Secretary of Transportation and the FAA to “immediately return to non-discriminatory, merit-based hiring.” The executive order states that hiring on the bases of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) harms all Americans.

The aforementioned executive order’s claim is simply untrue. What does harm all Americans, though, are the increased number of plane crashes in the U.S. airspace following the termination of the heads of the TSA and FAA. 

Amidst the many changes enacted or proposed by Trump since his inauguration last month, one of the most notable has been the administration’s declaration of a war on diversity, equity and inclusion. So, what is DEI, who does it impact, and why does our government care? 

DEI is a framework designed to ensure everyone is treated fairly and is given equal  opportunities. The goal of DEI policies and initiatives is to bridge the gap for marginalized communities and improve access in areas like education, jobs and housing. DEI covers things including, but certainly not limited to: race, age, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical ability and veteran status. 

The United States government is currently taking action against these policies and practices likely because of the constitutional law issue, “reverse discrimination.” Reverse discrimination is when a majority individual makes a claim that they were discriminated against on the basis of race or another attribute. DEI initiatives seem to have struck a nerve with the alt-right figures in positions of power, “DEI is just another word for racism. Shame on anyone who uses it,”  Elon Musk said in a post on X.

Following the execution of these orders and the termination of aviation officials, the U.S. has seen a drastic increase in accidents. The collision that occurred on Jan. 29 between an American Airlines passenger jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter killed 67 people and was the deadliest plane crash since November 2001. In addition to that crash, a single engine Cessna went missing in Alaska with 10 people aboard, on Jan. 31, a medical transportation plane crashed in Philadelphia killing six people onboard and one person on the ground, on Feb. 9, a small plane landed upside down in a vegetable field in Kern County, California, and on Feb 12th a U.S. Naval fighter jet, a two-seater EA-18G, crashed into the San Diego Harbor and was rescued by the Coast Guard. The National Transportation Safety Board and FAA are actively investigating the recent crashes to prevent similar incidents going forward. 

Despite the ongoing investigations into the incidents, there is still an element of fear looming amongst the public. Trump’s lack of regard for the victims and their families, and instead attacking DEI initiatives certainly doesn’t ease any concern. Former Army helicopter pilot and DEI consultant, Reed Kimbrough, said in an interview with NBC that he was taken aback by Trump’s comments. 

“While families are grieving, to turn this into an attack on DEI is disturbing,”  Kimbrough said. “The lack of empathy, the lack of decorum — using profanity at a press conference — and to politicize a tragedy is really unconscionable.” 

The lack of respect, support or accountability for the lives lost was baffling. Yet, I suspect that this will not be the end of this trend in Trump’s administration. Will the president use the public’s “shock and awe” and fear to his advantage through the rest of his term?