\n<\/p>\n
Eleven Republican attorneys general sent a letter<\/a> to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), highlighting the \u201cmisordered priorities\u201d of the agency.<\/p>\n Writing to the FAA\u2019s administrator, Michael Whitaker, the AGs said, \u201cWe are troubled by some recent reports regarding your agency\u2019s hiring practices and priorities. It seems that the FAA has placed \u2018diversity\u2019 bean counting over safety and expertise, and we worry that such misordered priorities could be catastrophic for American travelers.\u201d<\/p>\n Noting that the FAA has always prioritized keeping Americans safe, the AGs wrote that under the Biden administration, the FAA \u201cappears to prioritize virtue-signaling \u2018diversity\u2019 efforts over aviation expertise. And this calls into question the agency\u2019s commitment to safety.\u201d<\/p>\n The Republicans emphasized that the FAA is \u201csinglemindedly focused on hiring a \u2018diverse\u2019 workforce.<\/p>\n While the FAA was focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, the FAA was \u201cnot prioritizing ensuring that Americans safely arrive at their destinations.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe FAA should once again hire based on merit so that only the most qualified aviation experts take care of America\u2019s air travel,\u201d the letter concluded. \u201cWhen it comes to air travel, safety must always come first. American lives depend on it.\u201d<\/p>\n The following states\u2019 attorney generals signed the letter: Kansas, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, and Texas.<\/p>\n Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, who led the letter, said in a statement<\/a>, \u201cIt\u2019s outrageous that the FAA is making passenger safety take a back seat to diversity.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGiven the recent FAA failure that delayed thousands of flights last January and the recent spike in near aircraft collisions, we are very worried that the FAA has lost sight of its primary goal \u2013 ensuring the safety of American skies,\u201d Kobach added. \u201cAmerican lives depend on the FAA hiring the most-qualified aviation experts.\u201d<\/p>\n A December 2023 report<\/a> found that U.S. airports saw 19 close calls and near misses, the greatest number since 2016.<\/p>\n In many cases of near misses, planes enter an area set for a different aircraft, forcing another to quickly move elsewhere to avoid a collision or accident.<\/p>\n Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) has\u00a0called<\/a>\u00a0the near misses \u201calmost mass fatality crashes.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n