Hold onto your boarding passes, folks—President Donald Trump is reportedly gearing up to pull the plug on a TSA program that’s been accused of playing political favorites, according to The Daily Caller.
The news, breaking on Wednesday, reveals Trump’s plan to shutter the TSA’s “Quiet Skies” domestic surveillance initiative, with an announcement possibly coming as early as Thursday, June 5, 2025, amid shocking claims of misuse under the prior administration.
Let’s rewind a bit to understand how we got here. The “Quiet Skies” program, designed to monitor travelers deemed a potential risk to aviation security, was meant to keep us safe, not to play political chess.
Yet, a 2018 Boston Globe investigation showed 40 to 50 passengers flagged daily, with Federal Air Marshals shadowing about 35 of them.
Fast forward to post-January 6, 2021, and the program ballooned, reportedly targeting individuals present at the Capitol, according to journalist Matt Taibbi. That’s when the mission creep started smelling like something other than jet fuel.
By October 2023, the program’s politicization became glaringly evident. William “Billy” Shaheen, husband of Democratic New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen, was flagged for traveling with a suspected terrorist on three occasions, per a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) report.
But—surprise, surprise—he got a free pass after the senator pushed for an exemption under then-TSA Administrator David Pekoske.
Contrast that with the treatment of Tulsi Gabbard, former congresswoman and current Director of National Intelligence, who wasn’t so lucky.
Whistleblowers alleged in August 2024 that she was slapped onto a suspected terrorist watchlist, surveilled by air marshals, and subjected to grueling “random” airport searches—some lasting up to 45 minutes—every time she flew.
Gabbard shared her frustration on Fox News’ “Hannity” in August 2024, noting a drastic shift in her travel experience starting July 23, 2024. “This is only the information that we know,” she told host Sean Hannity, highlighting the stress of constant scrutiny.
“My real question is, what don’t I know?” she continued. The uncertainty of being watched—phone calls, movements, travels—has weighed heavily on her and her family, wondering if the government is just waiting for an excuse to pounce. Well, turns out Big Brother might’ve overplayed its hand this time.
Even Gabbard’s boarding passes screamed suspicion, marked with “SSSS” for secondary screening, as Taibbi reported.
Her husband faced the same invasive treatment, all while transparency and oversight seemed to take a permanent vacation.
The scandal deepened on June 4, 2025, when DHS released evidence of blatant politicization under the Biden administration.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem didn’t mince words, stating, “It is clear that this program was used as a political Rolodex by the Biden Administration—weaponized against its political foes.” Talk about a boarding pass to nowhere.
Noem doubled down, promising reform: “This program should have been focused on the equal application of security measures.” She vowed the Trump administration would restore fairness and privacy in aviation screening. It’s a refreshing change from using surveillance as a political sledgehammer.
Republican Kentucky Senator Rand Paul echoed the outrage on X, declaring the TSA treated Gabbard “like a terror suspect.” During a May 20, 2025, Senate hearing, he demanded accountability, insisting on repercussions for any abuse of her liberties. Someone finally said the quiet part out loud.
Whistleblowers, represented by Empower Oversight, and House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer have also pressed for answers, particularly about Gabbard’s targeting.
Meanwhile, the Daily Caller’s outreach to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence went unanswered at publication time. Stonewalling won’t make this mess disappear.