They replaced a skill assessment with a completely bizarre biography test where for instance you got +15 points if you listed science as your worst subject, but 0 if you listed math, English, history or P.E.
Then they leaked the answers to black organizations, as well as special keywords to put in their resume to go to top of the pile.
The students who spent years and thousands of dollars and aced the skill assessment but then failed the biographical test are suing in a class action.
I can well believe it has absolutely nothing to do with this disaster, but I don't think either political side has any interest in arguing over the fine points of that distinction.
https://kaisoapbox.com/projects/faa_biographical_assessment/
The questions are mind-blowing. And:
> In the present day, there is a critical shortage of ATCs, with the FAA having 1,000 fewer ATCs in 2023 than it did in 2012.
If that's how they were hiring (although they don't do today), I could understand if that has a bit contributed to fewer ATCs today.
Seems it is for real: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/jan/30/faa-diversi...
"... In 2013, the FAA started using a “biographical assessment” to increase the hiring of preferred minority racial groups at air traffic control centers. The assessment asked applicants about their participation in school sports and the age at which they started earning money."
"The assessment disqualified more experienced, qualified applicants ..."
Not anymore.
If this is true, it's because you and people like you are inserting it in otherwise innocuous, productive discussions. Have you considered not doing that?
>Asked how he could come to the conclusion that diversity played a role in the deadly midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Trump said, “Because I have common sense, OK? And unfortunately a lot of people don’t.”
>He later defended his assertion that diversity initiatives at the FAA could have contributed to the National Airport crash as the investigation continues.
>“No, I don’t think so at all,” Trump said when asked if he thinks his claims about the helicopter, air traffic control and DEI policies were getting ahead of the investigation. He quipped to the reporter that “I think that’s not a very smart question.”
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5116606-5-takeaw...
Days without being an international embarrassment: 0
> “I do want to point out that various articles that appeared prior to my entering office. And here’s one, the FAA’s diversity push includes focus on hiring people with severe intellectual and psychiatric disabilities. That is amazing. And then it says FAA says people with severe disabilities are most underrepresented segment of the workforce said ‘they want them in, and they want them, they can be air traffic controllers. I don’t think so. This was January 14, so that was a week before I entered office. They put a big push to put diversity into the FAA’s program,” Trump said.
> “Brilliant people have to be in those positions, and their lives are actually shortened, very substantially shortened because of the stress where you have many, many planes coming into one target, and you need a very special talent and a very special genius to be able to do it,” the president added.
> When he was asked to clarify why he thought a “diversity push” at the FAA played a role in Wednesday’s collision, President Donald Trump told reporters Thursday that “it just could have been.”
> “It just could have been. We have a high standard. We’ve had a higher, much higher standard than anybody else,” Trump said.
> Trump did not cite any evidence. Source: https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/plane-crash-dca-potomac-was...
/bittersarcasm
----
President Trump also appeared to blame a “diversity push” at the FAA for the midair collision, reading some news headlines.
“I do want to point out that various articles that appeared prior to my entering office. And here’s one: the FAA’s diversity push includes focus on hiring people with severe intellectual and psychiatric disabilities,” Trump said.
When he was asked to clarify why he thought a diversity push played a role, he said, “It just could have been. We have a high standard. We’ve had a higher, much higher standard than anybody else.”
Trump did not cite any evidence.
He also placed blame on the Biden administration’s transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg, using an expletive to describe Buttigieg’s time in office.
“He’s a disaster now. He’s just got a good line of bulls—,” Trump said of Buttigieg. “Well, he runs it, 45,000 people, and he’s run it right into the ground with his diversity.”
Trump’s pick for transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, who just started the job, also spoke during the press conference.
“When Americans take off in airplanes, they should expect to land at their destination — that didn’t happen yesterday,” Duffy said. “That’s not acceptable, and so we will not accept excuses. We will not accept passing the buck.”
Your grievance politics are nonsensical on their face.
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5116332-trump-0f...
