Transportation Sec. Duffy: Biden Admin Wasn’t Focused on Traffic Safety, They Were Focused on Social Justice

TAPPER: So, you just alluded to DEI, the diversity, equity, and inclusion processes of trying to expand people in the workforce. Is there any specific evidence that backs up Donald Trump’s claims, President Trump’s claims, that DEI or FAA hiring practices are responsible in any way for this tragedy at Reagan National?”
DUFFY: “So, Jake, I think the better question is, am I going to guarantee the American people that only the best and the brightest serve in this incredibly important body of the Department of Transportation, that they’re driven by safety, and DEI doesn’t matter? So, I do know that, in the last administration, they were focused on not safety, but they were focused on changing the name from ‘cockpit’ to ‘flight deck,’ or ‘notice to airmen,’ they want to change it to ‘notice to air mission.’ They focused on E.V.s and sustainability and racist roads, things that don’t matter in regard to safety. Our mission since the start has been safety. And they have lost that mission. And we see, when you don’t focus on safety and you focus on social justice or the environment, bad things happen. And so I have — listen, it’s been busy. We’re going to have a fuller assessment of what happens in regard to DEI in FAA and DOT, and we will report that out. But I will tell you this: DOT is a big department. The only DEI office that exists in the whole department was at the FAA. Now, that existed up to a week ago. That’s now gone.”