Trump targets FAA diversity efforts in plane crash probe despite no evidence they played any role

President Donald Trump's remarks this week blaming diversity recruitment at the FAA as a potential reason for the plane crash that killed 67 people has drawn attention to the agency’s attempts to address its most pressing and long-standing staffing problem. The FAA had a persistent shortage of air traffic controllers for years and has used a diversity hiring program as one strategy to fill those and other slots. No evidence has emerged that rules seeking to diversify the FAA played any role in the collision. The diversity program has been ongoing for years, including during Trump's first term, and experts familiar with it say all candidates must meet the same FAA qualifications no matter the job.