President Donald Trump announced Tuesday a comprehensive review of all Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees in “critical safety positions” to ensure they meet the necessary qualifications.
In a presidential memorandum, Trump directed the Transportation Secretary and FAA Administrator to evaluate these employees and replace them if necessary. This decision follows a series of airline safety incidents and near-misses in recent years.
In the memo, Trump criticized the Biden administration’s approach to hiring, stating that the FAA had “betrayed its mission by elevating dangerous discrimination over excellence.” According to Trump, the agency’s diversity and inclusion strategy led to the recruitment of employees with “severe intellectual” and other challenges that could impact their ability to perform essential safety duties.
“For example, prior to my Inauguration, the FAA Diversity and Inclusion website revealed that the prior administration sought to specifically recruit and hire individuals with serious infirmities that could impact the execution of their essential life-saving duties,” Trump wrote.
Trump’s initiative calls for reviewing the “past performance and performance standards of all individuals in critical safety positions” and taking appropriate action to ensure these roles are filled by highly capable individuals committed to air safety and efficiency.
Recent incidents highlighting safety concerns include a near collision involving a plane carrying the Gonzaga University men’s basketball team at Los Angeles International Airport in December. Another event in September saw two Delta planes collide while taxiing at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, resulting in significant damage to one plane’s tail.
The memo also emphasized a shift toward merit-based hiring, rejecting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices that prioritize characteristics like race, sex, or disability over skills and qualifications. Trump stated that hiring for the FAA must focus on “individual capability, competence, achievement, and dedication.”
“Illegal and discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) hiring, including on the basis of race, sex, disability, or any other criteria other than the safety of airline passengers and overall job excellence, competency, and qualification, harms all Americans, who deserve to fly with confidence,” the memo said.
Trump reiterated that prioritizing merit-based hiring practices would help restore trust in airline safety and promote excellence in FAA operations.
