Transportation & Infrastructure
Presidential Executive Orders
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January 21, 2025 (W.H. Link) - This presidential action outlines the Federal Aviation Administration’s responsibility for the daily safety of over 45,000 flights and 2.9 million passengers. The accuses the previous presidential administration of prioritizing discriminatory Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) hiring practices, focusing on race, sex, disability, and other non-merit-based criteria, allegedly compromising safety and penalizing qualified individuals.
To address these concerns, President Trump has directed the Secretary of Transportation and FAA Administrator to:
Return to non-discriminatory, merit-based hiring practices, as mandated by law.
Rescind all DEI initiatives and prioritize qualifications, competence, and dedication in hiring and promotion decisions.
Review the performance of all individuals in critical safety positions and ensure any underperformers are replaced with highly capable professionals.
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January 30, 2025 (W.H. Link) - This presidential action is in response to a tragic collision occurred between a commercial aircraft and a military helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
The presidential statement criticizes hiring practices within the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under the Obama and Biden Administrations, alleging that these administrations prioritized diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives over merit-based hiring.
The President is directing the Secretary of Transportation and the FAA Administrator to conduct a comprehensive review of hiring decisions and safety protocol changes implemented over the previous four years. The review will assess any degradation in hiring and aviation safety standards during the Biden Administration, and corrective action - including the removal of personnel who do not meet qualification standards - will be taken as necessary.
Additionally, the directive mandates that all measures be taken to reverse negative safety and personnel trends from the past four years, reinforce an uncompromising commitment to aviation safety, and ensure the security of air travel for all Americans.