This presidential action directs the Secretary of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administrator to immediately end discriminatory hiring practices at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The order cites concerns about a prior administration's focus on hiring individuals based on factors other than merit, potentially jeopardizing aviation safety.
It mandates a return to non-discriminatory, merit-based hiring and a review of individuals in critical safety positions to ensure only highly qualified personnel are employed.
Arguments For
- Intended benefits: Enhanced aviation safety through a focus on merit-based hiring, ensuring competent and qualified personnel in critical safety positions.
- Evidence cited: The document cites the FAA's prior administration’s Diversity and Inclusion website as evidence of discriminatory hiring practices.
- Implementation methods: Immediate rescission of DEI initiatives and a review of past performance of individuals in critical safety positions, with replacement of unqualified individuals.
- Legal/historical basis: The order references a return to ‘non-discriminatory, merit-based hiring, as required by law.’
Arguments Against
- Potential impacts: Potential legal challenges from individuals who believe they were unfairly disadvantaged by the change in hiring practices.
- Implementation challenges: Difficulty in objectively assessing past performance and identifying ‘high-capability’ individuals; potential for bias in evaluating employees.
- Alternative approaches: Implement DEI initiatives that focus on diversity without compromising merit-based hiring; develop more robust and objective performance evaluation methods.
- Unintended effects: Potential for a decrease in diversity within the FAA workforce; potential increase in hiring costs associated with a more thorough review process.
SUBJECT: Keeping Americans Safe in Aviation
Every day, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), within the U.S. Department of Transportation, oversees safety for more than 45,000 flights and 2.9 million airline passengers. These Americans trust the FAA’s public servants with their lives, and it is therefore imperative that they maintain a commitment to excellence and efficiency.
During the prior administration, however, the FAA betrayed its mission by elevating dangerous discrimination over excellence. 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.
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. It also penalizes hard-working Americans who want to serve in the FAA but are unable to do so, as they lack a requisite disability or skin color. FAA employees must hold the qualifications and have the ability to perform their jobs to the highest possible standard of excellence.
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. All so-called DEI initiatives, including all dangerous preferencing policies or practices, shall immediately be rescinded in favor of hiring, promoting, and otherwise treating employees on the basis of individual capability, competence, achievement, and dedication.
The Secretary of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administrator shall review the 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.
The Presidential action addresses concerns about the FAA's hiring practices.
It states that the FAA's previous administration prioritized diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives over merit, potentially compromising aviation safety.
The order mandates a return to merit-based hiring and directs a review of current personnel in critical safety roles, replacing anyone deemed unqualified.
The aim is to improve aviation safety and efficiency by ensuring highly competent individuals are in key positions.