‘Keeping Americans Safe in Aviation’ Ends Biden’s DEI Hiring Initiative

On President Trump’s second day in office, he signed a Presidential Memorandum that put an end to the FAA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity (DEI) hiring initiative. The memo forces the agency to return to purely merit-based hiring and review the performance standards of all safety-critical employees.

The order, titled “Keeping Americans Safe in Aviation”, claimed that the Biden administration set standards focused on hiring “individuals with serious infirmities that could impact the execution of their essential life-saving duties.”

“Safety and competence should be the only job criteria for FAA employees, yet the Biden Administration violated the public trust—as well as the law—by prioritizing illegal DEI hiring,” an official White House fact sheet explained.

The FAA Administrator is now required to rescind these policies and immediately return to purely merit-based hiring. The agency will also be forced to review the past performance of all FAA employees who work in safety-critical positions and replace anyone who does not meet its standards.

These same Biden-era policies were put into question last year. In response, the FAA noted that any candidate who applies for one of its roles undergoes the same checks and “must meet rigorous qualifications” before being given the job.

The FAA has had a target on its back for years, peaking when a door plug blew off an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 mid-flight. A federal oversight committee determined that the agency was not effectively keeping tabs on Boeing, stating that its oversight model was a “failing system” that must be fixed.

The new memorandum has drawn widespread attention from industry professionals, many wondering whether or not DEI hires play a role in maintaining aviation safety.

“Why don’t we go back in history and research every airplane crash, and tell me how many times a Black pilot was the cause?” stated Eric Hendrick, Director of Pilot Outreach at Delta Air Lines. “There’s no sliding scale when it comes to pilots. Everyone has to meet the industry standards, and they are high. So to weaponize DEI by saying it could threaten public safety is just ridiculous.”

FMI: www.faa.gov