Donald Trump’s decision to halt all diversity-focused initiatives at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has received praise from a top aviation lawyer.
“Politics has no place in aviation safety because there is no margin for error when lives are at stake,” attorney Erin Applebaum told Newsweek. “The Trump FAA must ensure that the best professionals are brought into the FAA while at the same time ensuring that all employment processes are free from unlawful discrimination.”
The FAA declined to comment when contacted by Newsweek.
Why It Matters
The termination of the FAA’s diversity-focused hiring initiatives—referred to by Trump as “illegal and dangerous”—is one of a flurry of orders issued in his first days aimed at Biden-era progressive policies.
As well as the FAA, Trump on Monday signed an executive order terminating all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs within the federal government. A memo later sent out by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management directed that all federal DEI employees be put on paid leave, while the administration takes steps to dismantle these initiatives.
What To Know
“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,” Trump’s order, titled “Keeping Americans Safe in Aviation,” reads.
“I hereby order the Secretary of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administrator to immediately return to non-discriminatory, merit-based hiring, as required by law,” the president said in his Tuesday directive.
Trump has yet to name his pick for FAA administrator following the departure of Mike Whitaker on Sunday. Sean Duffy currently awaits full Senate confirmation to become Transportation secretary, having had his nomination unanimously advanced by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on Wednesday.
“The FAA’s most important priorities are the advancement of aviation safety and the prevention of air disasters,” Applebaum told Newsweek. “Successfully achieving those priorities requires ensuring that the FAA is staffed by highly qualified and capable professionals.”
In recent years, the FAA has come under fire for a rise in runway near-misses and its light-touch regulatory approach to regulating aerospace giant Boeing, an approach which some have linked to accidents involving the company’s aircraft.
What People Are Saying
Erin Applebaum told Newsweek: “The agency is currently facing a crisis of confidence among the American public, stemming from a recent series of avoidable incidents and close calls. Every day, tens of thousands of flights traverse U.S. airspace with over two million passenger lives depending on the FAA’s ability to ensure that every airplane is airworthy and lands safely at its destination.
“This is an enormously complex and serious task, and it is critical that the agency is operated by the individuals best suited for the job.”
The FAA told Fox News Digital in January 2024: “The FAA employs tens of thousands of people for a wide range of positions, from administrative roles to oversight and execution of critical safety functions. Like many large employers, the agency proactively seeks qualified candidates from as many sources as possible, all of whom must meet rigorous qualifications that of course will vary by position.”
What Happens Next
Trump has ordered the FAA administrator and Transportation secretary to conduct a review of employees at the agency.
According to the directive, the review will focus on “past performance and performance standards of all individuals in critical safety positions and take all appropriate action to ensure that any individual who fails or has failed to demonstrate requisite capability is replaced by a high-capability individual that will ensure top-notch air safety and efficiency.”
Attempting to access any of the FAA’s pages dedicated to its diversity-focused hiring initiatives now leads users to an error message or redirects them to the agency’s homepage.
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The post Donald Trump’s Move to Ban DEI in FAA Backed by Aviation Lawyer appeared first on Newsweek.
