Group of GOP Attorneys General Question FAA’s Safety Commitment Over DEI Hiring Policies

The FAA trains and employs air traffic controllers, who provide services daily to more than 45,000 flights and 2.9 million airline passengers.

A Federal Aviation Administration sign hangs in the tower at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on March 16, 2017. Seth Wenig/AP Photo

A group of Republican attorneys general from 11 states warned in a joint letter to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Michael Whitaker on Feb. 21 that the federal agency’s diversity-focused hiring practices might compromise the safety of U.S. travelers.

The state officials—led by Kansas AG Kris Kobach—said the FAA appears to be focused on “diversity hiring,” as opposed to “merit-based hiring.”