Senator Schumer Gets Pushback After Pointing Fingers at President Trump

After a Delta Airlines CRJ900 came to a stop upside down, US Senators were quick to pin the blame on White House figures. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt immediately jumped in to dispute claims and reverse the story.

Delta Connection Flight 4819, operated by Endeavor Air, was approaching Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) from Minneapolis/St Paul International (MSP) on February 17. Footage from the scene shows the aircraft making a hard touchdown, going sideways, and coming to a stop on its back. Wind conditions were reported as 38-knot gusts.

Of the 80 occupants on board, “initial reports indicate there are no fatalities and 18 customers with injuries have been transported to area hospitals. Our primary focus is taking care of those impacted,” read a statement from Delta.

The primary focus of US Senator Chuck Schumer looked much different. Sen Schumer claimed on social media that President Donald Trump’s recent FAA staff cuts contributed to the accident. Even knowing that the event occurred in Canada, which operates under an entirely different agency, Schumer argued that it was the FAA’s responsibility to make sure that the aircraft was in flying shape.

"I’m thankful that everyone in the flight incident in Toronto that took off from Minneapolis is safe, but we keep seeing these incidents day after day. Meanwhile, Trump’s doing massive layoffs at the FAA – including safety specialists – and making our skies less and less safe,” Schumer posted on X.

As one could imagine, Schumer’s allegation was not met with widespread support. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt quickly went on the defense, noting that it was “incredibly irresponsible for Chuck Schumer to say such a thing when the investigation is still underway.”

Leavitt didn’t stay out of the blame game entirely, however. She asserted that former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the Biden administration “sat on their hands” regarding aviation safety during their term.

FMI: www.delta.com