June 23, 2025 – Page 5 – tv503 New York News

Chair of the House Oversight Committee Comer is digging into the Biden Administration’s corrupt “Quiet Skies” program that targeted political opponents and handed out VIP exemptions to connected Democrats.
The program cost taxpayers $200M a year and stopped ZERO terrorist attacks.
WHO was being watched and WHY?

As part of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform’s oversight of the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) politicized Quiet Skies program, Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) today is calling on Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem to provide documents that the Biden Administration refused to provide the Committee. Additionally, Chairman Comer requests a staff level briefing regarding DHS’s recent findings concerning the political abuse of the Quiet Skies program.

“The Committee commends the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Trump Administration for its recent decision to terminate [the Quiet Skies] program. This necessary action addresses longstanding concerns regarding the program’s ineffectiveness and politicization under the Biden Administration. To assist the Committee in its oversight efforts, we are requesting documents and information regarding the Quiet Skies program,” wrote Chairman Comer.

The Quiet Skies program was purportedly intended to identify and monitor travelers who may pose a security risk but are not on government watchlists, using behavioral indicators and travel patterns to flag individuals for enhanced screening by Federal Air Marshals. In August 2024, the Oversight Committee conducted oversight of the Quiet Skies program after reports of political abuse, but the Biden Administration failed to provide all of the documents requested by the Committee. Public reporting and documents obtained by the Oversight Committee reveal a troubling pattern of selective enforcement under the program. High-profile individuals, including spouses of Democratic officials, received exemptions despite documented security concerns, while figures who opposed policies of the Biden Administration faced enhanced scrutiny and surveillance.

“Recent evidence uncovered by DHS confirms the Committee’s concerns about the systematic politicization of aviation security protocols. The program’s $200 million annual cost proved unjustifiable given its failure to prevent a single terrorist incident, while simultaneously serving as a mechanism for preferential treatment based on political affiliations rather than legitimate security considerations,” continued Chairman Comer.“The maintenance of secret exclusion lists comprising foreign dignitaries, athletes, and select journalists, created an unequal system that undermined both security effectiveness and constitutional principles of equal treatment. Such practices represent a fundamental departure from proper administrative procedures and merit thorough congressional examination.”

Read the letter to Secretary Kristi Noem here.

Source: oversight.house.gov/

Inside the Biden Administration’s “Quiet Skies” Program: Political Targeting, VIP Exemptions, and $200M in Costs

Overview of the “Quiet Skies” Program

The “Quiet Skies” program was a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) initiative, started in 2010, that allowed federal air marshals to monitor and track American travelers—even those not on terrorist watch lists or under active investigation—on both domestic and international flights1 2 3. Its stated purpose was to thwart threats posed by “unknown or partially known terrorists” and to identify higher-risk travelers based on analysis of travel patterns and associations3.

Who Was Being Watched

The program targeted a wide range of individuals, not just those suspected of terrorism:

Ordinary travelers: Many people surveilled under Quiet Skies were not suspected of any crime, were not under investigation, and were not on any terrorist watch list2 3.
People with certain travel patterns: Criteria included spending time in specific countries or having travel behaviors that matched those of known or suspected terrorists, or being “possibly affiliated” with someone on a watch list3.
Political opponents and public figures: Under the Biden Administration, the program was reportedly weaponized to target political adversaries, including the spouse of a federal air marshal and former U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard4. Whistleblowers revealed that some targets were selected for attending political events, such as President Trump’s January 6, 2021 speech4.
Businesspeople, flight attendants, and even law enforcement officers: Examples include a businesswoman, a Southwest Airlines flight attendant, and a fellow federal law enforcement officer, none of whom were suspected of terrorism3.

Why Were They Watched?

The official rationale was aviation security—identifying potential threats not captured by traditional watch lists2 3. However, internal reviews and whistleblower reports exposed several other motivations:

Political Targeting: DHS and TSA investigations uncovered that the program was used as a “political rolodex”—targeting political foes of the Biden Administration while providing exemptions to allies and well-connected individuals5 6 1 7.
Retaliation and Abuse: Whistleblowers reported that the program was used to retaliate against individuals and surveil those with no legitimate security justification, including the spouse of a federal air marshal and Tulsi Gabbard4.
VIP Exemptions: The program maintained a secret “VIP list” that exempted certain individuals—such as foreign royal families, political elites, professional athletes, and favored journalists—from enhanced screenings6 8. For example, Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) intervened to have her husband removed from the Quiet Skies list and placed on a special exemption list, bypassing normal security protocols8.

Effectiveness and Cost

The program cost taxpayers approximately $200 million per year5 6 1 7.
According to DHS and Secretary Kristi Noem, it failed to prevent a single terrorist attack during its existence5 6 1 7.

Congressional and Public Response

The program faced bipartisan criticism for its lack of transparency, unclear criteria, and potential civil liberties violations6 2 3.
Chairman James Comer and the House Oversight Committee are investigating the program for waste, abuse, retaliation against whistleblowers, and political weaponization4.

Summary Table: Who Was Watched and Why

Group/Individual Type	Reason for Surveillance/Exemption	Example(s)
Ordinary travelers	Travel patterns, broad criteria	Businesswoman, flight attendant3
Political opponents	Political targeting/retaliation	Tulsi Gabbard, Jan 6 attendees4
Public figures	Political or personal connections	Law enforcement officer3
Well-connected/VIPs (exempted)	Political/familial connections, elite status	Senator Shaheen’s husband8
Foreign royals, athletes, journalists	Exempted from screening as VIPs	Not specifically named6

The Quiet Skies program, originally intended for aviation security, was ultimately discredited for being politicized and ineffective. It targeted a wide array of Americans—including political opponents and ordinary travelers—while granting exemptions to political allies and VIPs, all at a significant annual cost and with no record of preventing terrorist attacks5 6 1 7 4.

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
						1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30

Day: June 23, 2025

Chair of the House Oversight Committee Continues Investigation of Biden Administration’s Political Abuse of Quiet Skies Program