During a press conference on Thursday addressing the plane-helicopter accident near Ronald Reagan National Airport that resulted in 67 fatalities, President Donald Trump made several remarks regarding historical and current federal policies related to air traffic controllers.

At one point, he suggested that the crash “could have been” influenced by diversity hiring practices, asserting that air traffic controllers might work while managing significant health issues and disabilities.

Here’s what the YSL News Fact Check Team discovered about the accuracy of Trump’s statements in relation to Federal Aviation Administration guidelines and historical changes.

Assertion: Air traffic controllers can have epilepsy and other serious medical conditions

“Hearing, vision, missing limbs, partial or complete paralysis, epilepsy, severe intellectual disability, psychiatric conditions and dwarfism – all are acceptable for the role of an air traffic controller managing planes entering our airspace.”

The FAA’s regulations contradict this assertion.

According to FAA policy, air traffic controllers are required to consistently meet defined medical criteria and must obtain clearance from a flight surgeon. Those who do not meet these standards are not eligible for the role.

Controllers are mandated to undergo regular health screenings and must inform their flight surgeon of any health changes, as outlined in FAA guidelines.

One of the conditions Trump mentioned – epilepsy – is explicitly listed as disqualifying in FAA documentation. Additionally, controllers must pass a hearing assessment and have 20/20 vision or better in both eyes, with or without corrective lenses, for long-distance viewing, and 20/40 vision or better in both eyes for close range (16 inches).

Moreover, they cannot have a history of bipolar disorder or other psychotic or personality disorders, and should not have a blood alcohol level of 0.04 or higher in the last two years. Blood pressure should not exceed 155 over 95, and specific cardiac conditions, such as having endured a heart attack, undergone a heart valve replacement, having a permanent pacemaker, or receiving a heart transplant, are also prohibitive.

The disabilities mentioned by Trump originate from the FAA’s diversity and inclusion page, which highlighted groups the federal government aimed to actively recruit starting back in 2013, as shown in FAA archives. This content remained available throughout Trump’s initial term.

– Joedy McCreary

Assertion: Trump’s executive order ‘restored’ air traffic controller standards

“As you know, last week, before the crash, I signed an executive order reinstating our highest standards for air traffic controllers and other significant roles across the nation.”

Trump is speaking about his executive order named “Keeping Americans Safe in Aviation,” which claimed that the previous administration under President Joe Biden “strove to specifically recruit and hire individuals with serious health conditions that could impair their essential life-saving responsibilities.” This order advocated for a prompt “return to non-discriminatory, merit-based hiring.” Notably, it did not specifically reference air traffic controllers.

The now-inoperative “Diversity and Inclusion” section of the FAA’s website under Biden stated that the agency “actively recruits, hires, promotes, retains, develops and advances individuals with disabilities.” The page highlighted conditions such as vision loss, complete paralysis, epilepsy, and “severe intellectual disability” as areas of special recruitment emphasis. However, it did not indicate that such individuals were being specifically targeted for air traffic controller roles.

The Office of Personnel Management under Biden also emphasized that certain physical disabilities and medical conditions could disqualify candidates because they may pose health risks to the individual or others, including conditions like epilepsy and poor vision or severe spinal deformities.

– BrieAnna Frank

Donald Trump’s claim: Air traffic controllers have shorter lifespans due to stress

“Highly skilled individuals must fill these roles, and their lives are significantly shortened due to the stress involved.”

YSL News found no evidence of research indicating that air traffic controllers, in particular, experience “significantly” shorter lifespans as a direct outcome of their job duties.

While it is recognized to be a high-stress occupation.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the FAA mandates that air traffic controllers retire by age 56 to “prevent burnout.” Additionally, the FAA has established training programs designed to help controllers understand job-related stressors, responses to stress, and management techniques.

There are studies showing that chronic stress can shorten life expectancy, although these studies are not exclusive to air traffic controllers.

For instance, a Finnish study from 2020 revealed that chronic stress can reduce life expectancy by over two years for both genders. A subsequent study from Yale indicated that chronic stress can accelerate aging.

– BrieAnna Frank

Assertion: Trump altered aviation hiring standards from Obama’s administration

“We must maintain the highest standards for those who work in our aviation sector. I upgraded the standards from Obama’s administration, which were unremarkable at best, to exceptional.”

Trump aimed to hold his predecessors, Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama, accountable for FAA hiring practices that emphasized diversity, equity, and inclusion. However, he failed to present any evidence indicating that these hiring policies contributed to the incident in question.

It remains unclear which standards Trump was specifically referencing; records indicate that diversity initiatives have been in effect since at least 2013 and persisted throughout Trump’s presidency. The 2013 diversity and inclusion page on the FAA’s site noted the federal government’s “special emphasis” on hiring people with targeted disabilities, including “hearing, vision, missing extremities, partial paralysis, complete paralysis, epilepsy, severe intellectual disability, psychiatric disabilities, and dwarfism.” This information remained consistent during Trump’s presidency and was accessible in 2019 and January 2021 versions of the page.

In April 2019, during Trump’s administration, the FAA introduced an Aviation Development Program that provided training for 20 individuals with disabilities at air traffic control centers aimed at preparing them for careers in air traffic management. Participants in this program underwent the same rigorous evaluations concerning aptitude, medical qualifications, and security as traditional applicants, according to the release.

– Chris Mueller