A counterterrorism program used to keep tabs on US citizens in airports and on planes around the world has been shut down by the Trump administration over concerns that it had become “weaponized” under the Biden administration.
The program, known as Quiet Skies, was run by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and allowed federal air marshals to follow American travelers on domestic and international flights, but it “failed to stop a SINGLE terrorist attack while costing US taxpayers roughly $200 million a year,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Thursday as she announced its termination.
“[The Department of Homeland Security] and TSA have uncovered documents, correspondence, and timelines that clearly highlight the inconsistent application of Quiet Skies,” Noem wrote on X. “The program, under the guise of ‘national security,’ was used to target political opponents and benefit political allies of the Biden Administration.”
“In addition to conducting our own internal investigation, I am calling for a full and thorough Congressional investigation to uncover further corruption through this program.”
Quiet Skies allowed federal authorities to surveil Americans who had come into contact with known or suspected terrorists – even if they were not themselves on a watch list or suspected of a crime.
DHS cited several examples of what it believes were instances in which the program was politicized.
Despite traveling with a “known or suspected terrorist three times,” William Shaheen, the husband of Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), was given “blanket exemptions” from being put on surveillance by former President Joe Biden’s TSA Administrator David Pekoske, DHS discovered.
In contrast, “non-politically aligned members,” including former Democratic Hawaii congresswoman and current Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, were ensnared in the program.
“Gabbard, and many other Americans, were placed on the Silent Partners’ Quiet Skies list with little to no visibility, awareness, explanation, or oversight,” DHS said in a statement.
Gabbard told Fox News host Laura Ingraham last month that she believes her placement on the watchlist was “politically motivated,” and the result of critical comments she made about then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
“I think they were trying to intimidate me, but also, they were trying to really create this chilling effect, probably knowing that I wouldn’t stay silent about it and send a message out to people that if you go and criticize then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who is now going to be the Democratic nominee for president, you too, would face the consequences,” Gabbard said during an interview on “The Ingraham Angle.”
Gabbard had questioned Harris’ leadership capabilities in remarks shortly after Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsed his vice president to take up the mantle.
Noem asserted that TSA would continue to perform “important vetting functions to stop security threats and ensure the safety of the American traveler” despite no longer operating Quiet Skies.
“The Trump Administration will return TSA to its true mission of being laser-focused on the safety and security of the traveling public,” Noem said. “This includes restoring the integrity, privacy, and equal application of the law for all Americans.”
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