TOPEKA – The FAA’s hiring practices could spell catastrophe for American travelers, attorneys general from 11 states today warned in a joint letter to FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker.

The letter, led by Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, warns that the Biden administration’s FAA is focused on diversity hiring rather than merit-based hiring.

"It's outrageous that the FAA is making passenger safety take a back seat to diversity," Kobach said.

The letter quotes from a 5-year FAA strategic plan that seeks to diversify its workforce. Additionally, the FAA has been relying on biological assessments to screen employment candidates and circulating racial-affinity buzzwords to help minority candidates rise to the top.

“Unfortunately, the Biden administration…appears to prioritize virtue signaling ‘diversity’ efforts over aviation expertise. And this calls into question the agency’s commitment to safety,” the letter to Whitaker reads.

On the day the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Harvard and University of North Carolina’s race-based admission policies, the FAA hosted a three-day Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility symposium that included FAA training on things like “Understanding the Impact of DEIA” and “Unmasking Unconscious Bias.”

“Given the recent FAA failure that delayed thousands of flights last January and the recent spike in near aircraft collisions, we are very worried that the FAA has lost sight of its primary goal – ensuring the safety of American skies,” Kobach said. “American lives depend on the FAA hiring the most-qualified aviation experts.”

Kobach was joined by a coalition of 10 state attorneys general in the letter to the FAA. They include Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, and Texas.

Read the letter here.