‘We’ve been pretty plain about our [safety] concerns, but it isn’t a good time to speculate right now,’ Senator Tim Kaine said Thursday. Months before Wednesday’s deadly aircraft collision in Washington, D.C., lawmakers were engaged in a fierce debate over safety at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
![[Senator Tim Kaine has previously voiced concerns about the airport’s capacity - but warned against speculation on the cause of the collision Thursday]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/30/17/12/Senator-Tim-Kaine-speaks-at-Marco-Rubios-confirmation-hearing.jpeg)
An American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas and an Army helicopter collided above the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport late Wednesday, and officials say all 67 people onboard both aircraft are feared dead. But less than a year ago, several Washington-area lawmakers warned that a bill adding more flights to the airport could pose serious safety concerns.
![[President Donald Trump baselessly blamed the crash on his predecessors Barack Obama and Joe Biden, as well as DEI policies.]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/30/17/13/Trump-holds-presser-following-passenger-jets-collision-with-Army-helicopter-41zx5cgm.jpeg)
Last spring, a major aviation bill passed by Congress and signed by then-President Joe Biden added five new daily long-haul flights at Reagan National Airport. The bill was designed to bolster safety measures, strengthen protections for passengers and airline employees and fund upgrades to US airports and air travel infrastructure, according to CNN. It allocated over $105 billion to the FAA and $738 million to the National Transportation Safety Board for fiscal years 2024 through 2028.
“The proposal flies in the face of known safety concerns and known congestion concerns,” Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat, said of the bill last year. Senator Tim Kaine and then-Senator Ben Cardin also fought the bill. “To me, it’s a safety issue,” Cardin said at the time. “There should not be additional slots.”.
