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Trump's DEI crackdown further strains US supply of aircraft mechanics, industry officials say
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Trump's DEI crackdown further strains US supply of aircraft mechanics, industry officials say
Sep 17, 2025 2:33 PM

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FAA workforce grants to train aircraft mechanics not

awarded

*

Applicants told to reapply once paperwork aligning with

Trump

administration's DEI stance is issued

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Industry group expects 10% shortfall in certified

mechanics

required to meet U.S. commercial aviation needs

By Allison Lampert

Sept 17 (Reuters) - Plans to combat a U.S. shortage of

aircraft mechanics are in limbo after funds aimed at training a

mostly male workforce are being held up by government efforts to

remove mention of diversity, equity and inclusion from its own

notices of available grants, industry officials told Reuters.

Lawmakers last year pledged tens of millions of dollars to

train workers to repair and build planes to meet surging demand

for maintenance and higher production from jetmakers Boeing ( BA )

and Airbus, but the grants have not been issued,

they said.

Officials from one technical college and an education council

said they were told by the Federal Aviation Administration

earlier this year to reapply for grants once applications are

rewritten to remove any references to DEI, in line with

executive orders signed by President Donald Trump. They said

they have not seen any new notices.

The delay in the FAA Workforce Grant program's funds comes

as industry faces an expected 10% shortfall in certified

mechanics required to meet commercial aviation needs in the

United States this year, according to a report being made public

on Thursday by the Aviation Technician Education Council.

The FAA was not immediately available for comment.

DEI programs attempt to promote opportunities for women,

ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ people and other traditionally

underrepresented groups. Civil rights advocates have argued that

such initiatives are necessary to address longstanding

inequities and structural racism.

Republican Trump and his allies say DEI unfairly discriminates

against other Americans, including white people and men, and

weakens the importance of merit in job hiring or promotion. His

administration has repeatedly sought to dismantle DEI programs,

with recipients of federal funds asked to ban actions like

training programs and policies aimed at underrepresented

groups.

While some technical programs target female mechanics, women

account for less than 3% of U.S. aircraft maintenance workers,

according to ATEC's pipeline report.

The delays in workforce grant funding were a topic of

discussion at an ATEC gathering in Washington on Wednesday.

Crystal Maguire, executive director of ATEC, which

represents U.S. technical schools and other groups, said her

industry needs the funds to carry out plans to address the

shortage.

"Now those dollars are being held up and we don't know why,"

she said.

Jim Hall, vice president of aviation and workforce

development at WSU Tech technical college in the aerospace hub

of Wichita, Kansas, said the longer the grants are on hold, the

fewer students they can train.

"We are just kind of in limbo wanting to do these programs,"

he said.

The $80 million over four years for maintenance, and a

matching amount for aircraft manufacturing, both approved in the

2024 FAA reauthorization bill, support a sector that is

predominantly male, Maguire said.

Maguire and Hall said some of the funds would give more high

school students access to training that would help them receive

certification to repair planes.

"We educate to build a workforce," Hall said. "There are no

politics involved in this."

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