TSA axes Quiet Skies watchlist program

The Department of Homeland Security on Thursday said it was ending the Transportation Security Administration’s Quiet Skies watchlist program. The program had become improperly politicized, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Thursday. A Homeland Security and TSA investigation found documentation of inconsistently applied vetting requirements used to target foes of the Biden administration, she said. The department also said Quiet Skies had not stopped any terrorist attacks and cost American taxpayers $200 million annually.

Did Homeland Security give examples of unequal treatment? The department said in a Thursday statement that William Shaheen, spouse of Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D.-N.H., was given a blanket exemption from review despite traveling three times with a known or suspected terrorist. Previous TSA Administrator David Pekoske made the decision after Shaheen directly lobbied him, the department said. Meanwhile, then-Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard received additional screening and monitoring by federal air marshals, according to the department. The list of exempted people also included members of foreign royal families, political figures, professional athletes, and favored journalists, the department said.

What are the department’s next steps? Noem said she was asking Congress for a thorough investigation to uncover further corruption within the program. Meanwhile, TSA would continue standard vetting procedures, she said. The REAL ID program, which increased identification requirements starting May 7, would help bolster national security, she said.

Dig deeper: Read Lauren Canterberry’s report on how law enforcement thwarted a planned mass shooting in Washington state.