{"id":2397842,"date":"2025-02-01T14:47:01","date_gmt":"2025-02-01T19:47:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/flashback-painful-video-of-bidens-dei-pick-to-lead-faa-unable-to-answer-aviation-questions\/"},"modified":"2025-02-01T14:48:33","modified_gmt":"2025-02-01T19:48:33","slug":"flashback-painful-video-of-bidens-dei-pick-to-lead-faa-unable-to-answer-aviation-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/flashback-painful-video-of-bidens-dei-pick-to-lead-faa-unable-to-answer-aviation-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Flashback: Painful Video of Biden&#8217;s DEI Pick to Lead FAA Unable to Answer Aviation Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fflashback-painful-video-of-bidens-dei-pick-to-lead-faa-unable-to-answer-aviation-questions%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2397842&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The text discusses the inquiry into the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-drought-leaves-lake-low-missing-plane-appears-to-be-found-at-bottom\/\" title=\"California Drought Leaves Lake Low, Missing Plane Appears To Be Found At Bottom\">mid-air collision<\/a> involving\u200c American Eagle Flight 5342 \u2063and \u2064a U.S. Army Black Hawk\u2062 helicopter, which resulted in 67 fatalities. The incident raises concerns regarding\u200c Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) hiring practices at \u2063the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), particularly\u200d relating to \u200c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/search-and-rescue-teams-at-site-of-indonesian-plane-crash\/\" title=\"Search and rescue teams at site of Indonesian plane crash\">air traffic controllers<\/a>. Democrats \u200bargue that while DEI initiatives under\u2064 past \u200badministrations have <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">altered hiring procedures<\/a>, all\u2063 hired \u2062individuals were \u200dqualified.\u200c Conversely, republicans highlight these\u200b practices while questioning \u200bthe appointment of Phillip\u2062 Washington, whose aviation expertise was lacking, to lead the FAA.Despite his nomination \u2063being \u200cwithdrawn after inadequate responses during \u2062confirmation hearings, Washington&#8217;s case serves as an \u2064example of the potential \u2064consequences of prioritizing diversity over merit. The text emphasizes that while\u2063 the root cause of the collision remains unclear and complex, it raises serious questions about the implications of DEI-focused hiring in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-has-short-sobering-quote-before-signing-executive-orders-in-wake-of-dc-air-collision\/\" title=\"Trump Has Short, Sobering Quote Before Signing Executive Orders in Wake of DC Air Collision\">critical safety positions<\/a> within aviation.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_3)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>In the weeks and months ahead, as the mid-air collision that killed 67 on board American Eagle Flight 5342 and a U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter is investigated, you&rsquo;re bound to hear a lot about DEI hires in the Federal Aviation Administration, especially in the area of air traffic controllers.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats will say that, despite changes to hiring practices under the Obama and Biden administrations, everyone who was given a job was qualified. When they do that, do not expect them to bring up the name Phillip Washington. There&rsquo;s a reason for that.<\/p>\n<p>To clarify what we know at the moment, the American Eagle Bombardier CRJ700, which was landing at Reagan National Airport just outside of Washington, D.C. after a flight from Wichita, Kansas on Wednesday night, collided with the helicopter, which was on a training mission, just moments after being warned by the air traffic controller.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/dc-md-va\/2025\/01\/30\/dc-plane-crash-updates-helicopter-potomac-reagan-airport\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Washington Post<\/a> reported one controller was handling both airliner and helicopter traffic at the time of the collision, a situation described as &ldquo;not normal&rdquo; but adequate given the traffic level. The incident came one day after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/day-dc-crash-near-miss-reagan-national-airport-eerily-similar-details\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">another near miss between an airliner and helicopter traffic<\/a> occurred at the same airport.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans pointed to a slew of DEI hiring practices under the past two Democratic administration which prioritized minorities and those with disabilities; Democrats countered that these practices had little effect on operational safety and that the cause of the accident remains unclear.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>That may be true, but remember who then-President Joe Biden thought should be in charge of the FAA back in 2023.<\/p>\n<p>Phillip Washington had previously been the CEO of the Denver International Airport when he was nominated, <a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2023\/03\/25\/politics\/faa-nominee-phil-washington-withdrawing\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CNN<\/a> reported, but Republican lawmakers noted he had &ldquo;slim aviation credentials and his potential legal entanglements.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>For what it&rsquo;s worth, Washington was a person of color. I&rsquo;m not sure whether or not this played any role in him getting the nomination. What I&nbsp;<em>am<\/em> sure of &mdash; and what a senator who also happened to be a pilot made sure of, as well &mdash; is that he should never have been nominated in the first place.<\/p>\n<p>During Washington&rsquo;s confirmation hearings, North Carolina GOP Sen. Ted Budd, himself a licensed pilot, asked Washington a series of seven questions related to aviation. He batted a perfect .000.<\/p>\n<p>First up, he was asked what airspace requires an ADS-B transponder; as Trig Avionics notes, these devices are &ldquo;typically combined with a GPS, to transmit highly accurate positional information to ground controllers and also directly to other aircraft,&rdquo; letting both controllers, other aircraft, and the public know exact altitude, speed, and location, among other things. (All of those, in case you happen to be unusually dense, would be mighty important in avoiding, say, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/stunning-footage-new-angles-raises-additional-questions-dc-plane-crash\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a mid-air collision<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<p>Washington said he wasn&rsquo;t sure he could answer that &ldquo;right now.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s a pretty important part,&rdquo; Budd said, moving on.<\/p>\n<p>Second question: &ldquo;What are the six types of special use airspace that protect &hellip; national security that appear on FAA charts?&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Washington: &ldquo;Sorry, senator, I cannot answer that question.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Third question: &ldquo;What are the operational limitations of a pilot flying under BasicMed?&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Senator, I&rsquo;m not a pilot, so&ndash;&rdquo; Washington said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;But obviously you oversee the Federal Aviation Administration, so any idea what those restrictions are under BasicMed?&rdquo; Budd interrupted.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Well, some of the restrictions, I think, would be high blood pressure, some of them would be&ndash;&rdquo; Washington said.<\/p>\n<p>Budd interrupted before he got himself in deeper. Basically, BasicMed allows pilots to fly without a medical certificate if they pilot smaller planes.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s more like how many passengers per airplane, how many pounds in different categories and what altitude you can fly under,&rdquo; Budd noted. &ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t have anything to do with blood pressure.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>It went on from there, with Washington not even knowing what causes a plane to enter a spin or a stall, or any of the three certifications the FAA requires from aircraft manufacturers.<\/p>\n<p>This doesn&rsquo;t get any less painful, I assure you:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">I asked Biden&rsquo;s nominee for FAA Administrator 7 basic questions about aviation policy.<\/p>\n<p>He went 0 for 7.<\/p>\n<p>We can&rsquo;t have an FAA Administrator who needs on the job training. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SenateCommerce?\">@SenateCommerce<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/nzGiEUxr8w\">pic.twitter.com\/nzGiEUxr8w<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Senator Ted Budd (@SenTedBuddNC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SenTedBuddNC\/status\/1631053342314049536?\">March 1, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Suffice it to say, Mr. Washington did not pass his congressional check ride; as CNN noted, he withdrew his name from consideration due to what a White House official termed &ldquo;an onslaught of unfounded Republican attacks.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>That didn&rsquo;t stop his name from coming up again. Not as a nominee, mind you, but as a cautionary tale that promotion without merit, no matter what the reason may have been, was definitely a thing during the Obama\/Biden years at the FAA:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">REMINDER: Biden&rsquo;s pick to lead the FAA was a DEI hire who couldn&rsquo;t answer a single question about aviation. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Wpq27SSm9P\">pic.twitter.com\/Wpq27SSm9P<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Jessica &#127482;&#127480; (@RealJessica05) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RealJessica05\/status\/1885015214166258138?\">January 30, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Again, let me point out that two things we know right now aren&rsquo;t mutually exclusive.<\/p>\n<p>First: There&rsquo;s no definitive evidence what caused this tragedy and likely won&rsquo;t be for months, and air travel is stacked with so many levels of redundancy that this likely involved more than just one or two failures of safety protocol.<\/p>\n<p>Second: Thanks to Democratic administrations, there is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/trump-four-sobering-words-signing-executive-orders-wake-dc-air-collision\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sufficient evidence of hiring practices at the FAA<\/a> that, most charitably, could be described as merit-ambivalent.<\/p>\n<p>Some of it falls under the aegis of what we call &ldquo;DEI hires.&rdquo; As for Phillip Washington, who the heck knows? Of course, that&rsquo;s the double-edged sword of DEI: Even if you are qualified, the assumption is that you just checked some boxes. At least in this case, we can safely assume nobody would get the incorrect assumption about his level of talent for the job he was nominated to do.<\/p>\n<p>Point being: What we do know is that just under two years ago, an administration thought a guy who knew nothing about aviation should lead the Federal <em>Aviation<\/em> Administration. Any Democrat who brays about Trump or any other Republican &ldquo;politicizing&rdquo; these <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-tucker-carlson-uncovered-devastating-faa-s-2018-proved-obama-team-knew-playing-fire\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dangerous hiring practices<\/a> ought to watch this video on repeat until they&rsquo;re disabused of that line of rhetoric for good.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<style> \t\t\t \t\t\t.insticator-unit.type-commenting{margin: 0 10px 25px 10px}@media screen and (max-width:1060px){#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{margin: 0 auto 25px auto !important;}}#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{height: 280px !important; width: 336px !important} \t\t<\/style>\n<div class=\"insticator-unit type-commenting\">\n<div class=\"insticator-ads\"> \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t<script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> \t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"insticator-ads additional\"> \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t<script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> \t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the coming weeks and months, as the investigation into the mid-air collision that resulted in 67 fatalities on American Eagle Flight 5342 and a U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter unfolds, discussions about DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) hiring practices within the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), particularly among air traffic controllers, are likely to intensify. Democrats will assert that all individuals hired under the Obama and Biden administrations were qualified despite changes in hiring protocols. However, they may avoid mentioning Phillip Washington&#8217;s name for specific reasons. To summarize current knowledge: on Wednesday night, an American Eagle Bombardier CRJ700 was landing at Reagan National Airport after a flight from Wichita when it collided with a helicopter conducting training just moments after receiving warnings from an air traffic controller. The Washington Post reported that one controller was managing both aircraft at the time of the incident\u2014a situation deemed &#8220;not normal&#8221; but acceptable given traffic levels. This incident followed another near miss involving an airliner and helicopter at the same airport just a day prior. Republicans have criticized DEI hiring practices implemented by recent Democratic administrations for prioritizing minorities and individuals with disabilities; Democrats argue these practices did not significantly impact operational safety while emphasizing that the cause of this accident remains uncertain.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s worth noting who President Joe Biden considered suitable to lead the FAA back in 2023: Phillip Washington, who had previously served as CEO of Denver International Airport but faced criticism from Republican lawmakers regarding his limited aviation experience and potential legal issues. While Washington is a person of color\u2014an aspect some speculate may have influenced his nomination\u2014his qualifications were called into question during confirmation hearings led by North Carolina GOP Senator Ted Budd, himself a licensed pilot. Budd posed seven basic aviation-related questions to Washington; he failed to answer any correctly.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, when asked about which airspace requires an ADS-B transponder\u2014critical for avoiding mid-air collisions\u2014Washington admitted he couldn&#8217;t provide an answer at that moment. He also struggled with questions regarding special use airspace types related to national security and operational limitations under BasicMed regulations for pilots.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, Washington withdrew his nomination amid what was described as &#8220;unfounded Republican attacks.&#8221; Nevertheless, his case serves as a cautionary example of meritless promotions during previous Democratic administrations at FAA.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s important to recognize two key points: first, there is currently no clear evidence determining what caused this tragic event; second, there is substantial documentation indicating questionable hiring practices within FAA linked to DEI initiatives under Democratic leadership.<\/p>\n<p>In summary: nearly two years ago, an administration believed someone lacking aviation knowledge should head up FAA operations\u2014a fact any Democrat criticizing Republicans for politicizing such dangerous hiring trends should reflect upon seriously<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2397843,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Picture-7.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[14743,3620,16574,14154],"class_list":["post-2397842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-aviation","tag-biden","tag-dei","tag-faa"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Picture-7.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2397842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2397842"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2397842\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2397846,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2397842\/revisions\/2397846"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2397843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2397842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2397842"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2397842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}