FAA’s Obama-Era ‘Biographical Questionnaire’ for DEI Faces New Scrutiny After DC Crash
Fred Lucas | | THE DAILY SIGNAL
President Donald Trump on Thursday directed the Federal Aviation Administration to assess safety standards, including evaluating hiring practices, in the wake of the midair collision over Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night.
The presidential memorandum comes after Trump suggested the military helicopter that crashed into an American Airlines regional jet may have been due in part to the FAA’s diversity, equity and inclusion policies.
All 67 people aboard the two aircraft were killed.
“President Trump swiftly signed a memorandum directing an immediate assessment of the Federal Aviation Administration to ensure the federal government is maintaining the highest personnel and policy aviation-safety standards,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
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“The memorandum directs the secretary of transportation and the FAA administration to immediately review all hiring decisions and changes to safety protocols made during the prior four years, and to take all necessary corrective action to achieve uncompromised aviation safety,” Leavitt added. “The review will include a comprehensive assessment and reversal in any deterioration in hiring standards and aviation-safety standards and protocols during the previous administration.”
Trump already signed a governmentwide executive order to do away with DEI-related personnel initiatives.
As The Daily Signal previously reported, under President Barack Obama’s administration, the FAA scrapped a skills-based test and a certification program, and replaced it with a biographical questionnaire to attract more diverse applicants to become air traffic controllers. The FAA previously drew most candidates from the military and a group of 36 colleges that offer air traffic control programs.
“The Obama administration implemented a biographical questionnaire at the FAA to shift the hiring focus away from objective aptitude. During my first term, my administration raised standards to achieve the highest standards of safety and excellence,” the Trump memorandum says. “But the Biden administration egregiously rejected merit-based hiring, requiring all executive departments and agencies to implement dangerous ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ tactics, and specifically recruiting individuals with ‘severe intellectual’ disabilities in the FAA.” [more]
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