Trump has banned diversity hiring at airlines
23 January 01:20
US President Donald Trump has issued an executive order, “Keeping Americans Safe in Aviation,” that repeals diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, Komersant ukrainskyi reports
“With this, I am ordering the Secretary of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administrator to immediately return to nondiscriminatory merit-based hiring as required by law. All so-called DEI initiatives, including all dangerous advantage policies or practices, must be immediately reversed in favor of hiring, promoting, and otherwise treating employees on the basis of individual ability, competence, achievement, and loyalty,” the executive order states.
The document notes that every day, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) within the U.S. Department of Transportation oversees the safety of more than 45,000 flights and 2.9 million airline passengers. These Americans entrust FAA government employees with their lives, and therefore it is critical that they maintain a dedication to efficiency.
“However, during the previous administration, the FAA betrayed its mission by elevating dangerous discrimination over excellence. For example, prior to my inauguration, the FAA Diversity and Inclusion website showed that the previous administration sought to specifically recruit and hire individuals with serious disabilities that could affect the performance of their important duties,” the document states.
Trump notes that unlawful and discriminatory diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) hiring, including on the basis of race, gender, disability or any criteria other than airline passenger safety and overall quality, competence and qualifications, 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 because they lack the necessary disability or color. FAA employees must be appropriately qualified and able to perform their jobs to the highest standards of excellence,” the executive order reads.
According to the executive order, the Secretary of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administrator must review the past performance and standards of all individuals in safety critical positions and take all necessary steps to ensure that any individual who has not demonstrated the required capabilities is replaced with a highly qualified individual who will provide first-class air safety and efficiency.
Earlier, Trump ordered that Department of “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” (DEI) employees be placed on paid leave and rescinded the policy in the government.
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued an order directing all DEI employees to go on paid leave.
In addition, OPM also ordered that all DEI-related websites and social media accounts be shut down, as well as cancel all training and terminate all contracts.