During the press briefing the day after the deadly crash at Reagan National Airport, Donald Trump explained while they did not know what led to the crash, they had some very strong opinions and ideas — specifically pointing blame on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) hiring practices within the FAA.
Trump alleged that the FAA’s hiring efforts, as outlined on their website, prioritized recruiting individuals with severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric conditions, and other mental and physical impairments.
“The FAA website states they include hearing, vision, missing extremities, partial paralysis, complete paralysis, epilepsy, severe intellectual disability, psychiatric disability and dwarfism all qualify for the position of a controller of airplanes pouring into our country… pouring into a little spot, a little on the map, little runway,” Trump said, adding that the FAA’s site says diversity is integral to achieving it’s mission to ensure safe and efficient travel.
To reinforce his argument, Trump also blamed former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the first openly LGBTQ+ confirmed Cabinet secretary.
“He was a disaster as a mayor,” the president said. “He ran his city into the ground, and he’s a disaster. Now he’s just got a good line of bullshit, the Department of Transportation. His government agency is charged with regulating civil aviation. Well, he runs it… 45,000 people, and he’s run it right into the ground with his diversity. So I had to say that it’s terrible.”
What Trump Got Wrong About DEI and FAA Hiring Policies
The list Trump referenced does exist—but not in the way he implied. It is part of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM)’s Self-Identification of Disability form, which tracks disability hiring across all federal agencies, not just the FAA. OPM is responsible for overseeing government hiring policies and establishing hiring authorities such as Schedule A, which ensures that qualified individuals with disabilities can apply for jobs without facing arbitrary barriers.
These policies expand the pool of eligible candidates but do not lower the qualifications required for hiring. Every applicant must meet the same rigorous job requirements. Here are some examples of how inclusive hiring practices work:
- Resume Gap Due to PTSD Treatment: A veteran with PTSD who took time off for medical treatment might be automatically disqualified due to a resume gap, despite having aviation or military experience and being fully capable now. Schedule A ensures their qualifications—not an arbitrary work history filter—determine their eligibility.
- Dyslexia and Timed Tests: A candidate with dyslexia might struggle with the timed reading portions of the FAA’s Air Traffic Skills Assessment (ATSA) but can process spoken instructions and complex information flawlessly in real-time communication—which is what the job requires.
- Partial Hearing Loss in One Ear: A candidate with partial hearing loss in one ear might be automatically disqualified based on traditional hearing tests, but with a specialized headset or accommodations, they can still process radio communications just as effectively as their peers.
For positions like air traffic controllers (series 2152), there is an extensive list of specific physical and mental requirements. One example from this job description being:
“If glasses or contact lenses are required, refractive error that exceeds plus or minus 5.50 diopters of spherical equivalent or plus or minus 3.00 diopters of cylinder is disqualifying.”
In other words, candidates must meet strict safety and performance standards, regardless of disability status. Contrary to Trump’s claims, the FAA is not undermining public safety by hiring unqualified individuals.
The Purpose of Equitable Hiring Policies
Equitable (or DEI) hiring policies do not give preference to unqualified candidates. Instead, they remove unconscious bias from the hiring process. Unconscious bias is not an accusation—it’s a recognition that everyone, regardless of race or background, has preferences and assumptions shaped by personal experiences.
For instance, a hiring manager might:
- Misinterpret a candidate who openly talks about their Christian faith as being too rigid for a diverse workplace—even if their beliefs don’t impact their ability to collaborate.
- Assume someone from a rural town isn’t as tech-savvy as a candidate from a big city, despite having equal or better qualifications.
- Feel uncomfortable hiring someone with a speech impediment, mistakenly associating it with a lack of confidence or intelligence—even if they communicate effectively in the ways required for the job.
These biases can unconsciously influence hiring decisions, making certain candidates seem like a “better fit” based on familiarity rather than actual qualifications.
Trump’s Executive Order on DEI in Aviation and Its Consequences
Just before the Reagan National Airport crash, Trump issued a fact sheet titled “President Donald J. Trump Ends DEI Madness and Restores Excellence and Safety within the Federal Aviation Administration.” His executive order terminated DEI hiring policies, claiming it would restore “merit-based hiring” and eliminate “illegal discrimination.”
However, the policies Trump seeks to eliminate already exist. His move is not about reinstating merit-based hiring—it is dismantling policies that have been in place for decades, creating a costly and unnecessary disruption to federal hiring processes.
More importantly, the implications for aviation safety remain unknown. By removing existing safeguards that ensure hiring is based on qualifications—not arbitrary biases—Trump’s policies may introduce new risks to an industry where precision, expertise, and sound decision-making are paramount.
One Response
Reading and hearing tRUMP’s insane bigoted, sexist tirade dripping with lies, made me miss even more, President Biden who showed empathy in such a tragedy.