I was just talking to my local FSDO and they said basically the same thing. Under the new setup they have, they are so undermanned that they aren’t even sure how they will oversee their current DPEs much less add any new ones. That a long with the decline in checkrides unless you are in a FSDO that has a lot of foreigners training equals less demand. I know the examiners in my FSDO are fighting hard to block any new DPE from being appointed even as a few leave because they want to pick up the slack and put that cash in their pockets. Even to the detriment of the schools having to wait weeks sometimes for checkride
How the hell are feds making extra for doing a check ride?