Democrat Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York attempted to pin the blame for a Mexican boat crash against the Brooklyn Bridge on the policies of President Donald Trump, but he was quickly refuted.
The Cuauhtémoc, a 297-foot sailing vessel leaving New York City on its way to Iceland, lost power and veered into the bridge on Saturday. Two naval cadets were killed and at least 19 others were injured when three of the ship’s masts broke.
‘We encourage Minority Leader Schumer to get his facts straight before he misleads the American people.’
Schumer suggested that Trump’s cuts were responsible for the tragedy during his weekly press briefing on Sunday.
“There are indications that this service called the [vessel traffic services] may not have been fully or adequately functional in light of that hiring freeze. We don’t know the answer to that question. We need answers. If this were the case, Brooklyn Bridge accident could be a national harbinger, demanding immediate attention,” said Schumer.
“Furthermore, the current hiring freeze at the Department of Homeland Security, DHS, which the Coast Guard is part of, may have limited the ability of the Coast Guard to fully staff up at the VTS, the vehicle traffic service, the shore-wide system that provides quote air traffic control for the seas, especially in congested areas and restricted waters like New York Harbor,” he said.
On Sunday the U.S. Coast Guard said the VTS was “fully functional” at the time of the incident. The Department of Homeland Security also said in a statement that Schumer’s accusation was false.
“The U.S. Coast Guard has been fully supported and been exempt from hiring freezes. Additionally, this incident had nothing to do with Vessel Traffic Services — when a ship loses propulsion in a high-current area, the vessel needs to engage all capabilities to stop, and ideally tugs are nearby to support,” the statement from the department read.
“We encourage Minority Leader Schumer to get his facts straight before he misleads the American people,” they added.
Videos captured the crash into the bridge as well as the bloody, chaotic aftermath.
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