President Donald Trump issued an executive order Tuesday directing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to prioritize merit-based hiring practices and eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives that he claims compromised air travel safety and efficiency.
The order, titled “Ensuring Excellence in Aviation Safety,” mandates that the U.S. Department of Transportation and the FAA return to hiring practices based solely on qualifications, competency, and experience and rescind any hiring preferences based on race, sex, disability, or other non-performance-related criteria.
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“Americans trust the FAA’s public servants with their lives, and it is therefore imperative that they maintain a commitment to excellence and efficiency,” President Trump stated. “During the prior administration, the FAA betrayed its mission by elevating dangerous discrimination over excellence.”
Under the executive order, the Secretary of Transportation and the FAA Administrator are required to:
- Rescind all DEI initiatives: Any policies or programs promoting diversity hiring or preferences based on identity factors must be immediately dismantled.
- Implement merit-based hiring: The agency must ensure hiring, promotions, and employment decisions are based solely on competency, capability, and qualifications.
- Review employee performance: A comprehensive review of past performance standards will be conducted, and underperforming employees in critical safety positions will be replaced by individuals who meet high standards of excellence.
“FAA employees must hold the qualifications and have the ability to perform their jobs to the highest possible standard of excellence,” the order states.
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With the FAA overseeing more than 45,000 flights and 2.9 million airline passengers daily, the administration’s decision is likely to have significant operational and staffing implications. Analysts suggest that the agency may face legal challenges over the abrupt termination of DEI policies and the potential replacement of employees who do not meet the new performance standards.
The executive order directs the FAA to submit a progress report within 60 days outlining steps taken to comply with the new directives and ensure personnel in key safety roles meet revised competency standards.
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Trump criticized previous FAA policies that aimed to increase diversity within the agency, arguing that they placed an undue emphasis on identity-based hiring rather than selecting the most qualified candidates for critical aviation safety roles.
Trump’s latest action aligns with his broader push to dismantle what he calls “woke policies” across federal agencies and return to what he describes as “common-sense governance focused on results.”
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