The Trump administration ended the Transportation Security Administration’s controversial “Quiet Skies” program after over 15 years. The initiative, which quietly tracked U.S. citizens, including law-abiding travelers, without warrants or notification, has long raised serious privacy concerns. By shutting it down, the administration is reaffirming its commitment to limiting the federal government’s surveillance powers and ensuring that security efforts stay focused on real threats, not innocent Americans.
The program, which began in 2010, is a federal domestic surveillance program that uses analysts and undercover air marshals to monitor individuals in and around U.S. airports to help prevent terror attacks. However, critics say that despite its $200 million annual cost, it lacks proven effectiveness in actually preventing terrorist attacks.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem emphasized that the program failed to thwart any terrorist incidents despite its substantial expenditure.
“It is clear that this program was used as a political rolodex of the Biden Administration — weaponized against its political foes and to benefit their well-heeled friends,” Noem said.
“This program should have been about the equal application of security; instead, it was corrupted to be about political targeting. The Trump Administration will restore the integrity, privacy, and equal application of the law for all Americans, including aviation screening,” she continued.
The Trump administration has previously said the program had become “weaponized” under the Biden administration. It faced scrutiny after reports claimed that individuals such as Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard were surveilled, possibly for political reasons.
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“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 believes the surveillance was meant to intimidate her, warning others that criticizing then–Vice President Kamala Harris could lead to consequences.
Noem also announced she would call for a “full and thorough Congressional investigation to uncover further corruption through this program.”
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