NEW YORK, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- As divers searched the Potomac River for bodies from the collision of a passenger jet and a military helicopter, U.S. President Donald Trump blamed the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) diversity policies and hiring of disabled Americans, reported USA Today on Wednesday.
In a news conference about the worst air crash in the United States in two decades, Trump claimed the agency was "actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities and psychiatric problems and other mental and physical conditions under diversity and inclusion hiring initiatives."
"The remarks, made without evidence, touched off anxiety and frustration among federal employees with disabilities, many of them military veterans," noted the report.
Eighteen people from agencies across the federal government and around the United States said that Trump's remarks are a troubling sign that his administration does not share the federal government's longstanding commitment to removing discriminatory barriers for people with disabilities and giving them an equal crack at federal jobs for which they are qualified, it added. ■
