America’s Skies in Crisis: Ainsley Earhardt Exposes the FAA’s Deadly Diversity Agenda

In a searing Fox News segment that left viewers stunned, Fox & Friends host Ainsley Earhardt delivered a damning indictment of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Biden-era obsession with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies.

At the center of the outrage: a near-catastrophic crash near Reagan National Airport, and the explosive revelation that only one air traffic controller was juggling two critical positions when disaster struck.

What followed was a fiery exchange between Earhardt and Congressman Troy Nehls, who laid bare the dysfunction inside one of America’s busiest control towers—and how political correctness might be putting millions of lives at risk.

“This is unacceptable!” declared Earhardt as she introduced the story.

And who could disagree? According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), both black boxes from the tragic American Airlines crash have been recovered, and early reports indicate dangerously close altitudes between aircraft just moments before their collision.

The location: Washington, D.C’s Reagan National Airport—a hub of political power, but apparently not of aviation safety.

The scandal deepens when Congressman Nehls reveals that the air traffic control tower at Reagan is grossly understaffed, with only 19 of the 30 needed positions currently filled.

That’s right—over a third of the required staff is missing, and the remaining personnel are reportedly stretched so thin that a single controller was responsible for monitoring both helicopters and inbound aircraft.

It’s a disaster waiting to happen, and this time, it nearly did.

But why is this happening? Why, in the wealthiest nation on Earth, are control towers left scrambling for bodies? The New York Times attributes it to tight budgets, high employee turnover, and back-breaking schedules—some working six days a week, ten hours a day.

Yet Earhardt and Nehls hinted at a more sinister explanation: the infiltration of DEI mandates into federal hiring practices.

In a jaw-dropping moment, Earhardt connected the dots: “Maybe Donald Trump getting rid of DEI in these agencies will also help,” she said, referencing a lawsuit in which 1,000 air traffic controller applicants were allegedly turned away based on race.

That’s not just affirmative action—it’s affirmative negligence.

“They were turned away because of race,” she emphasized, “So hopefully we will clean up the system and the government.”

Let that sink in.

At a time when American airports are processing over 45,000 flights a day, and Reagan National alone sees 800 flights arriving and departing daily, the FAA is allegedly turning away qualified applicants—because they’re not the right color.

If true, it’s a gross betrayal of the public trust and a fatal misalignment of priorities.

Congressman Nehls didn’t mince words either.

“It’s a very busy airport,” he said, “and it must be addressed. ”

He called for congressional oversight and more aggressive recruitment to fill the dangerous staffing gaps.

While he was careful to praise the overall safety record of U.S. aviation—which has seen no major incidents in 15 years—he warned that one more overlooked issue could break that streak.

“When we have an issue like this, it needs to be addressed,” he said, “and I believe the NTSB will conduct a very thorough investigation. ”

But many Americans aren’t waiting for another bureaucracy-laden investigation.

They’re demanding action—now.

After all, we don’t board planes expecting political ideology to be flying the aircraft.

We trust that the person guiding us through the sky is the best-qualified, most-capable professional for the job—not someone chosen to meet a quota.

Let’s be crystal clear: air traffic control is not a social experiment.

It is one of the most high-stakes, stress-intensive, life-and-death jobs in the entire federal system.

One error—a misheard call sign, a delayed command, a moment of inattention—can cost hundreds of lives.

And yet, based on reports, the FAA seems more interested in ticking racial boxes than ensuring planes don’t collide midair.

That lawsuit Earhardt mentioned isn’t some internet rumor—it’s real.

In 2014, under the Obama administration, the FAA reportedly overhauled its hiring system to emphasize “biographical data,” which critics say was a thinly veiled push to favor minority applicants over others, regardless of aptitude or training.

One whistleblower described it as “the biggest disaster in FAA history. ”

But it’s 2025 now, and we’ve got to ask: How much of that legacy remains? Has the Biden administration doubled down on it under the banner of “equity”? Has the FAA become yet another federal agency prioritizing woke virtue signals over actual competence?

The chilling takeaway from this interview is that the answer might be yes.

Earhardt, who has long served as one of Fox News’ more even-tempered hosts, was visibly outraged throughout the segment.

“We get on a plane and we just trust that whoever is in that tower knows how to do their job,” she said.

That trust, clearly, is being eroded.

And let’s not pretend this is an isolated case.

Delays, near misses, and shocking air traffic control failures have been increasing nationwide.

In 2023 alone, the FAA acknowledged over 1,500 near collisions—a staggering number for a supposedly “gold standard” system.

So where do we go from here?

Congressman Nehls offered a logical step forward: more oversight, more funding, and more recruitment—of the right people, for the right reasons.

Not diversity hires.

Not political pawns.

Just competent, well-trained professionals who can do the job without killing anyone.

The bottom line is this: The sky is no place for affirmative action.

If the FAA is allowing ideology to cloud judgment and cripple safety, it’s not just unacceptable—it’s dangerous.

Ainsley Earhardt did the country a service by blowing the whistle on this ticking time bomb.

Now it’s time for the rest of us—lawmakers, media, and the flying public—to demand a course correction.

Before another plane goes down.