In a fiery exchange on Fox News’ America Reports on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt took aim at Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for his recent claims that former President Donald Trump’s cuts to the FAA workforce contributed to a Delta Air Lines crash in Toronto. Leavitt’s response was swift and unambiguous, labeling Schumer’s remarks a “flat out lie” and insisting that his allegations are politically motivated and unfounded.

The Controversial Claim

The controversy erupted after a Delta Air Lines flight, departing from Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, crash-landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday. Video footage captured the aircraft touching down, flipping onto its top, and being engulfed in flames. Miraculously, all 80 people on board survived, though 18 were injured—three of whom remain in critical condition.

Senator Schumer took to X (formerly Twitter) to blame the incident on massive layoffs at the FAA during Trump’s administration. “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 wrote. He further argued that, even though the plane’s destination was Canada, the flight originated in Minneapolis, making the FAA responsible for ensuring safe aviation equipment.