Ooops, I must have had a key word in there.
Here is my buddy's reply who works for the FAA:
Hey Brian, normally I would tell you that with our controller staffing shortage, the wait is the usual speed of the U.S. government. Give it a month or two and he would get an appointment to the academy in OKC. Of course, right now there is a complete freeze in hiring and movement in the federal government across the all agencies.