Confirmed: Biden Admin Cut ‘Best-Qualified’ Class of Air Traffic Controllers, Made Poorer Candidates Look Better
The article discusses the shortage of air traffic controllers in the United States, challenging the narrative that blames the Trump management for the issue. Instead, it attributes the problem to policy changes made during the Biden administration under President Joe biden and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. Specifically, in 2023, the Biden administration lowered the qualifying standards for applicants entering the Air Traffic Control Academy by reducing the threshold score to be considered “best qualified” from 85% to 80% on the Air Traffic Skills Assessment. This change aimed to admit more candidates but resulted in a higher dropout rate of over 30%, as many admitted were less capable of handling the demanding work. The article indicates that this policy shift led to a decline in the quality of new trainees,contributing to the shortage.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy explained that the Biden administration created broader applicant categories- “well qualified” (above 80%), “qualified” (70-79.9%), and “not referred” (below 70%) – which effectively grouped less prepared candidates with stronger ones. Subsequent efforts have re-adjusted these standards, raising the “best qualified” bar to 90% and tightening other categories.
Pete Buttigieg has denied lowering standards,claiming the criteria remained rigorous and that his department increased funding and workforce numbers.However, the article argues that the apparent drop in standards is clear, likening it to giving the same grade to students scoring 100 and 80, and suggests this has negatively impacted the air traffic controller workforce, contributing to current challenges in the field.
Remember when the left was pointing the finger at the Trump administration, blaming the president for the shortage of air traffic controllers?
As it turns out, that issue stems back to former President Joe Biden and former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.
Trump administration Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy recently made an appearance on the New York Post‘s “Pod Force One” podcast, where he told host Miranda Devine that in 2023 the Biden administration scrapped the top testing threshold for applicants looking to get into the academy that trains air traffic controllers.
The pre-Biden system saw candidates who scored 85 percent on the Air Traffic Skills Assessment put in the “best qualified” category. Under Biden, anyone who scored above 80 percent was put into a new “well qualified” category.
“They lowered the standard from 85 percent to 80 percent to be best qualified … to get these young people into the academy,” Duffy told Devine.
“What happened was, they had a substantial washout rate, 30 percent-plus,” he said on the consequences of the change, “because they couldn’t do the work.”
The Biden administration’s categories for applicants were “well-qualified” above 80 percent, “qualified” between 70-79.9 percent, and “not referred” for those scoring below 70 percent.
Essentially, Biden and Buttigieg were lumping in less qualified applicants with more qualified ones, creating one larger category in hopes of getting more students through the door and into the field, but as Duffy said, the dropout rate went up.
If dropout rates from the academy were higher under Biden, could this be the reason we are now dealing with a shortage of air traffic controllers?
According to the Federal Aviation Administration website, the academy in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, takes several months to complete. The timing seems perfect that after a change in 2023, we were really seeing the impact of Biden’s decision just as President Donald Trump came back into office.
This seems more likely than the left’s explanation that Trump‘s federal cuts are to blame.
The Transportation secretary mentioned changes now being made to improve this system: “best qualified” are those who score 90 percent or higher, “well-qualified” applicants score between 85 and 89 percent, “qualified” applicants score between 70 and 84 percent, and those “not referred” score below 70 percent.
According to the Post, Buttigieg commented earlier this year on the matter, saying, “We did not change the rigorous standard for becoming a certified air traffic controller.”
“Those claiming otherwise are mistaken or lying. We did increase funding and training, and grew the ATC workforce after years of declining numbers, including under Trump,” he said, taking a swipe at Trump.
Considering all the information laid out here, Buttigieg and Biden did make changes that lowered standards. Imagine making a 100 on a test and getting an A, then a fellow student who scores an 80 also gets an A.
You’re both A students despite that massive discrepancy.
Its not hard to see the problem with that.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
