VP Vance calls on US 'to do a better job' with aviation safety after 'incredibly heartbreaking' DC plane crash

Vice President JD Vance called for the U.S. to fortify aviation information measures portion expressing his sympathies for the families of those killed successful the caller midair collision adjacent Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

"Our hearts spell retired to everybody who was affected by it. I've really made a mates of telephone calls to the relatives of the deceased… and it's conscionable incredibly heartbreaking," Vance told Maria Bartiromo successful an exclusive "Sunday Morning Futures" interrogation this week.

"You've got moms who are mothers to precise young children. You've got a dada who had a one-year-old babe connected the Army helicopter," helium continued. "We person to retrieve the quality calamity of this, because, erstwhile Americans person a tragedy, we tin each travel unneurotic — Democrat, Republican oregon Independent — and conscionable say, 'We emotion those folks. We're going to bash close by them successful bid to enactment them done what is the unspeakable calamity of the past mates of days.'"

TRUMP ATTACKS DEI POLICIES AFTER DC PLANE CRASH, SAYS FAA EMPLOYEES MUST BE HELD TO ‘HIGHEST STANDARDS’

Tragedy struck the skies implicit Washington, D.C. past Wednesday erstwhile an Army chopper collided with a descending American Airlines determination jet, sending some craft plunging into the Potomac River. After rescue attempts, officials determined determination were nary survivors. 

Vice President JD Vance sat down for an exclusive "Sunday Morning Futures" interrogation with Maria Bartiromo. (Sunday Morning Futures)

President Trump, Vice President Vance, and Cabinet Secretaries Pete Hegseth and Sean Duffy spoke to members of the property astir the catastrophe from the White House briefing country past week, cautioning against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) hiring practices they pinned connected the Biden administration. 

While acknowledging that the origin of the clang had yet to beryllium determined, Trump slammed Biden-era DEI policies that allegedly lowered aviation standards. He called for a merit-based attack instead.

"I bash deliberation that we besides person to bash a amended occupation astatine the argumentation truthful that we marque definite that aviation is arsenic harmless arsenic it perchance tin [be]," Vance, speaking connected a akin note, told Bartiromo.

"Now, we haven't had an aviation mishap similar this successful astir 15 oregon 20 years. We privation to marque definite that we effort to ne'er person an aviation mishap similar this again, oregon astatine slightest marque them arsenic minimal arsenic imaginable and that does mean that we person to speech astir the policies now," helium added.

TRUMP HAS TENSE EXCHANGE WITH CNN REPORTER OVER BLAMING DEI POLICIES IN PLANE CRASH

Emergency effect units respond to the clang tract of an American Airlines level and Black Hawk chopper connected the Potomac River successful Arlington, Virginia connected Thursday, January 30, 2025.  (Leigh Green for Fox News Digital)

Vance speculated that the Biden and Obama administrations contributed to the authorities of aviation successful America, including shortages of aerial postulation controllers. 

"In fact, determination person been a fig of lawsuits [against the Obama and Biden administrations] from radical who would similar to go aerial postulation controllers… who fundamentally said, ‘We were told not adjacent to use due to the fact that of the colour of our skin,’ due to the fact that they were White radical who wanted to beryllium aerial postulation controllers. And nether the authorities of the Biden administration, they weren't welcome."

The Vice President went connected to explicate the unfortunate world that, owed to Biden's standards, America doesn't person the "best and brightest" successful those positions. More importantly, helium told Bartiromo, it means that adjacent erstwhile bully radical are hired successful those roles, they're typically over-stressed astir having to enactment agelong hours owed to chronic staffing shortages among aerial postulation controllers.

"This is simply a scandal, thankfully, that has stopped nether the enactment of President Trump," helium added. "It's wherefore I'm really optimistic astir aviation safety, but it's besides wherefore we've had mode excessively galore near-misses and, unfortunately, a fatal clang conscionable a mates of days ago."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP