'Kick in the teeth': Disabled federal workers fear for their jobs after Trump remarks

Source: USA Today

'Kick in the teeth': Disabled federal workers fear for their jobs after Trump remarks

Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY
Updated Wed, February 5, 2025 at 12:28 PM EST 8 min read

As divers searched the Potomac River for bodies from the collision of a passenger jet and a military helicopter, President Donald Trump blamed the Federal Aviation Administration’s diversity policies and hiring of disabled Americans.

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, who spoke with USA TODAY on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

Eighteen people from agencies across the federal government and around the U.S. said Trump’s remarks are a troubling sign that his administration does not share the federal government’s long-standing commitment to remove discriminatory barriers for people with disabilities and give them an equal crack at federal jobs for which they are qualified.

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Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/kick-teeth-disabled-federal-workers-100607970.html