{"id":2570063,"date":"2026-02-14T21:40:01","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T02:40:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/faa-puts-dei-in-the-crosshairs-threatens-any-airline-that-doesnt-hire-by-merit\/"},"modified":"2026-02-14T21:44:49","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T02:44:49","slug":"faa-puts-dei-in-the-crosshairs-threatens-any-airline-that-doesnt-hire-by-merit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/faa-puts-dei-in-the-crosshairs-threatens-any-airline-that-doesnt-hire-by-merit\/","title":{"rendered":"FAA Puts DEI in the Crosshairs, Threatens Any Airline That Doesn&#8217;t Hire By Merit"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/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%2Ffaa-puts-dei-in-the-crosshairs-threatens-any-airline-that-doesnt-hire-by-merit%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=2570063&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 FAA issued a directive requiring all U.S. commercial airlines to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >certify <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-racial-anxiety-conquered-an-orchestra-and-crushed-a-career\/\" title=\"How Racial Anxiety Conquered an Orchestra and Crushed a Career\">merit-based hiring<\/a><\/a> for pilots, effectively signaling a move away from DEI-driven hiring practices. Airlines must publicly commit to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-parents-slam-arizona-school-board-for-proposing-woke-equity-guide-to-elementary-schoolers\/\" title=\"Watch: Parents Slam Arizona School Board For Proposing Woke Equity Guide To Elementary Schoolers\">hiring based<\/a> on qualifications and competencies, with non-compliance potentially triggering a federal investigation. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the public should feel confident that pilots are the most qualified, regardless of race or gender.<\/p>\n<p>The agency and its supporters emphasize safety, noting that flight crews\u2019 knowledge and training are critical and that the new rule aims to increase transparency in hiring.FAA officials argue that the baseline for new-hire pilots should reflect verified technical skills and experience, reinforcing that race, sex, or creed should not determine who flies. Airlines for America defended safety as the top priority and asserted that carriers already comply with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tsa-can-now-fine-you-for-not-masking-up-following-biden-executive-order\/\" title=\"TSA Can Now Fine You For Not Masking Up Following Biden Executive Order\">federal regulations<\/a>. The coverage also situates the directive within broader political discourse on DEI initiatives, including references to executive actions and public reactions on social media.  <\/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><\/p>\n<p>Airlines musty prove they have shed their DEI policies when it comes to hiring pilots, according to a new Federal Aviation Administration directive.<\/p>\n<p>Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Friday that every commercial airline must formally commit to merit-based hiring for pilots, according to an FAA <a href=\"https:\/\/www.faa.gov\/newsroom\/trumps-us-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-doubles-down-purging-dei-our-skies-calls\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news release<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;When families board their aircraft, they should fly with confidence knowing the pilot behind the controls is the best of the best. The American people don&rsquo;t care what their pilot looks like or their gender &mdash; they just care that they are most qualified man or woman for the job,&rdquo; Duffy said.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Transportation chief Sean Duffy mandates merit-based hiring of US airline pilots | Josh Christenson, New York Post<\/p>\n<p>Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has ordered US airlines to institute merit-based hiring processes &mdash; on pain of federal investigation, The Post can exclusively&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/OdIsb2O6Hu\">pic.twitter.com\/OdIsb2O6Hu<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Owen Gregorian (@OwenGregorian) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/OwenGregorian\/status\/2022656960554737703?\">February 14, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Safety drives everything we do, and this commonsense measure will increase transparency between passengers and airlines,&rdquo; he added.<\/p>\n<p>The FAA release noted that while it &ldquo;has raised performance standards, dismantled DEI offices and contracts, and revised absurd Biden-Buttigieg era directives that wasted time renaming cockpits to flight decks, allegations of airlines hiring based on race and sex remain.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Failure to comply &ldquo;will subject airlines to federal investigation,&rdquo; the release said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;At the FAA, the safety of passengers is our number one priority,&rdquo; FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It is a bare minimum expectation for airlines to hire the most qualified individual when making someone responsible for hundreds of lives at a time. Someone&rsquo;s race, sex, or creed, has nothing to do with their ability to fly and land aircraft safely,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>The release noted that air safety &ldquo;is fundamentally dependent upon the knowledge and proficiency of its flight crewmembers. Federal regulations establish rigorous training and qualification standards.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The effectiveness of these training programs is enhanced when new-hire pilot applicants enter training possessing a verified baseline of technical knowledge, cognitive skills, and piloting qualifications and experience,&rdquo; the release said.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">HUGE! I called out DEI pilot hiring in <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nypost?\">@nypost<\/a>. Today <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SecDuffy?\">@SecDuffy<\/a> delivers: FAA now requires airlines to certify pilots hired strictly on MERIT! Bold move. Right move.<br \/> For 3M daily US flyers: THANK YOU, Secretary Duffy for finally stopping DEI from tampering with, disabling, or&hellip;<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Dan Huff (@RealDanHuff) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RealDanHuff\/status\/2022405903283056822?\">February 13, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The notice said the FAA &ldquo;acknowledges the importance of merit-based hiring that requires airlines to identify candidates whose specific experience and technical aptitude align with the complexities of their specific operating environment.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>As noted by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/sustainability\/society-equity\/us-airlines-must-certify-use-merit-based-hiring-pilots-faa-says-2026-02-13\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Reuters<\/a>, President Donald Trump last year issued executive orders to dismantle DEI programs in the federal government and is seeking to spread that approach to the private sector.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The Federal Aviation Administration said on Friday that all U.S. airlines must certify they are conducting &zwnj;merit-based hiring for pilots or face a federal investigation.<\/p>\n<p>Transportation Secretary Sean &zwnj;Duffy said the action was to address &ldquo;allegations of airlines hiring based on&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/EGmBek1RUh\">pic.twitter.com\/EGmBek1RUh<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Yahoo News (@YahooNews) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/YahooNews\/status\/2022485965344780508?\">February 14, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Airlines for America, which represents American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and Southwest Airlines, said in response to the FAA directive that &ldquo;safety is, and always will be, the top priority for U.S. airlines.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The group said &ldquo;carriers comply with all federal regulations and laws, including those related to qualifications, training and licensing.&rdquo;<\/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<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s a paraphrased version of the main points:<\/p>\n<p>The FAA has ordered U.S. airlines to prove their pilot hiring is based on merit and to discontinue DEI-based hiring practices. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that each commercial airline must formally commit to merit-based hiring or face a federal investigation. He said passengers should feel confident that the person piloting the plane is the most qualified, and that a candidate\u2019s race, sex, or appearance should not matter.<\/p>\n<p>The FAA emphasized that air safety relies on pilots\u2019 knowledge and proficiency, and that training and qualification standards are already strict. The directive requires airlines to hire pilots who bring a verified baseline of technical knowledge, cognitive skills, and relevant experience. Noncompliance will trigger a federal investigation, according to the agency.<\/p>\n<p>The FAA noted it has raised performance standards and revised or dismantled some DEI-related offices and directives, while acknowledging ongoing allegations of hiring based on race or sex. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford underscored that safety is the top priority and that hiring the most qualified individual is the bare minimum for pilots responsible for hundreds of lives.<\/p>\n<p>Responses from the industry included Airlines for America\u2019s statement that safety remains the top priority and that member carriers comply with all federal regulations and training requirements. The coverage also featured various reactions and social-media commentary surrounding the policy shift<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2570064,"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\/2026\/02\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-02-14T191222.234.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[16574,51272,14154],"class_list":["post-2570063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-dei","tag-diversity-2","tag-faa"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-02-14T191222.234.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2570063","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=2570063"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2570063\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2570067,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2570063\/revisions\/2570067"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2570064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2570063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2570063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2570063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}