A host of advisory committees that help create safety rules for aviation, railroads and more have been dissolved or their membership rolls purged, with a Transportation Department official saying the bodies need a “refresh” in part because they had been “overrun” with diversity, equity and inclusion and climate advocates.
According to a document viewed by POLITICO, 25 federal advisory committees involving DOT have been affected. That includes a committee composed of a wide swath of the aviation industry and unions that advises the Federal Aviation Administration on aviation issues, such as the safety of aircraft certifications, airplane evacuation standards, drone flights, accessibility concerns and more. The action comes two weeks after a three-day inquest by federal accident investigators into the deadly midair collision between a passenger jet and a military helicopter outside of Washington that revealed serious strain on the aviation system.
DOT spokesperson Nate Sizemore would not confirm how many committees are affected or the extent to which members were terminated, in a statement saying only that committees had been notified of DOT’s “intent to reconstitute membership.” Sizemore claimed that in some cases the committees haven’t met in some time, or “have been overrun with individuals whose sole focus is their radical DEI and climate agenda.”
In a later statement, Sizemore added that “no committee is being permanently disbanded” and that DOT will offer a “30-day window for individuals to apply to or be nominated for appointment to each committee,” after which DOT will “will work as quickly as possible to reconstitute these committees so they can return to their important work.”
