Washington, DC – Following new revelations that additional FAA or aviation-related employees may have assisted in giving potential air traffic controller recruits special access to answers on a key admissions test to help them gain jobs with the FAA, U.S. Representative Randy Hultgren (IL-14) restated his call, begun in December of last year, for FAA officials to appear before Congress to answer for their actions. Rep. Hultgren, a former member of the House Subcommittee on Aviation, has urged the House to act on his legislation, H.R. 1964, the Air Traffic Controllers Hiring Act of 2015 (previously known as the SAFE TOWERS Act), to reverse the effects of the FAA’s policies and restore safety and confidence to air travel.
“I am deeply disturbed that this alleged cheating may run deeper than first reported. If additional FAA or aviation-related employees helped applicants cheat on the Biographical Questionnaire (BQ), it is imperative we bring in those responsible and determine how widespread the misconduct is. Again, I urge Congress to hold a hearing and compel the FAA to appear before the American people to get to the bottom of this troubling discovery,” said Rep. Hultgren. “We need answers: Did the FAA know someone on the inside was helping people cheat, and did they cover it up? Was it a tactic with a purpose: to ensure targeted populations would pass the test? Who wrote the BQ, and who validated it (if anyone)?
“In addition, we still don’t know what will happen to those who have either failed the BQ, aged out of the hiring process, or both, for which they spent countless personal resources. I urge my colleagues to support my legislation to provide relief to those hurt by the FAA’s actions, and restore confidence in the air traffic controller hiring process.”
The FAA is under fire following a six month investigation into the agency’s new hiring practices which for months Rep. Hultgren has argued caused the agency to pass over the most qualified air traffic controller candidates, such as experienced veterans, and have raised concerns of air travel safety. The investigation also uncovered the alleged cheating, which Rep. Hultgren has called out. Illinois’ 14th Congressional District is home to the most air traffic controllers in Illinois.