President Donald Trump has "inherited a mess" from former President Joe Biden's DEI practices, including with matters of air safety, and "it's time we clean it up," Rep. Eric Burlison said on Newsmax Saturday.
"It's really despicable for the Democratic Party to be laying this responsibility at the feet of Donald Trump, having just taken office," the Missouri Republican told Newsmax's "America Right Now." '"Look, we know that there have been reports going back into 2023 where they recognize that there is a shortage of talented individuals, particularly in air traffic controllers."
He added that one study predicted that an event such as Wednesday's deadly in-air collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter could happen.
But the Biden administration's shift on DEI, or diversity, equity, and inclusion, initiatives in every aspect of the federal government, not just the FAA or in transportation, meant the previous administration "failed the American people multiple times," said the congressman.
"Instead of hiring competent people who can keep the president safe, the Secret Service hired people based on DEI," said Burlison. "And then when we had the FEMA director have to come before Congress and apologize because of all the scandal that was breaking up, guess what their number-one priority was? DEI."
The House in its last session tried to defund and eliminate all DEI offices, he added, but it had to negotiate with Biden and Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and was "unable to do so," he added. "But now we have a new president and we have a new [majority leader] of the Senate and so I think that we have a good chance to get these programs defunded and to put in place policies that make sure that something like this does not happen again."
Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., has called on Democrats to fight Trump's agenda, including "in the streets," and Burlison said Jeffries "knows better than this."
"But look, all the rhetoric that they had in the previous election, they, you know, they called Trump 'Hitler' and every name in the book," he said. "Look how it inflamed people into violence. Hakeem needs to reduce the temperature and stick to the policy debate."
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