The Washington Free Beacon reports that Secretary Sean P. Duffy, U.S. Department of Transportation (“USDOT”), has retained the California-based law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan to investigate allegations of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (“DEI”) hiring practices at the USDOT – reportedly raising serious concerns about fairness, integrity and public safety in air traffic control towers.
Following the crash at Reagan Washington National Airport roughly two months ago, killing dozens, President Donald J. Trump suggested that the Federal Aviation Administration’s (“FAA”) DEI hiring programs may have played a role.
On Monday (3/31/2025), Secretary Duffy stated that “[t]here is no place in air traffic control for box checker, DEI hires. We owe it to the American people to ensure that only the best and brightest are in our towers—regardless of their race, gender, or sexual orientation. Too many lives are at stake.”
The Washington Free Beacon article may be read in full HERE.
My brothers and sisters, when the lives of the millions of air travelers in the United States are directly affected, only the most capable should be sitting in our control towers. There is no reason to presume that persons of color (or those otherwise considered minorities) would be denied employment, if the standards, educational requirements and ability to work under pressure with clearly articulated commands are applied during the hiring and probationary periods of employment.
The U.S. Declaration of Independence states that “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
The United States was founded upon the principle that ‘all are created equal’ before God, and that all should have equal opportunity in the United States, not that all should enjoy ‘equity’ – meaning equality of outcome, in all matters of life!
Equality of outcome is a goal of socialism, which eventually results in the disincentive to excel, because no matter how hard one works or trains, if one isn’t in the elite ruling class and afforded special treatment by the government, the ‘reward’ remains the same.
If one ponders this, it becomes clear, for example, that only a highly competent chef should be hired by a five-star restaurant; that only a person with a commercial pilot’s license should be hired to fly for a commercial airline; that only a person who believes Jesus is Lord and trusts in the Bible should be filling the pulpit as pastor or preacher; and so forth. Equity and equal opportunity are NOT THE SAME THING!
The Bible tells us that even in Christian ministry, only SOME are called by God to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors or teachers, who train up the body of Christ (the church):
Ephesians 4:11-13 (NKJV)
“And He Himself (Jesus) gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…”.
The Bible also tells us that we should not simply look out for our own interests and desires, but that we should refrain from selfishness, and in humility see the significance of (or expertise that can be brought forward by) others:
Philippians 2:3-4 (ESV)
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
