The Trump administration reportedly plans to shut down a TSA program that conducts surveillance on travelers to weed out potential terrorist threats. The program was ostensibly aimed at protecting Americans from terrorist activity, but has often targeted innocent Americans — including National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard.
Multiple sources told CBS News that the White House will soon announce that it is shutting down the “Quiet Skies” program.
Aides have debated how to shut down Quiet Skies without any lapses in security, another U.S. official said.
Quiet Skies works to identify travelers who could present an elevated risk to aviation security. The program, which began in 2010, employs analysts and undercover air marshals to monitor people in airports and during flights, using outstanding warrants, facial recognition software, identification of suspicious travel patterns and behaviors and other data to try to prevent terrorist attacks.
It has caught up some high-profile people in its dragnet, including Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman who is now Mr. Trump's director of national intelligence, and led to debates about what has appeared at times to be an uneven application of the rules.
🚨BREAKING NEWS🚨
— Breanna Morello (@BreannaMorello) June 5, 2025
President Donald Trump plans to shut down the Quiet Skies terror surveillance program, according to reports.
The Quiet Skies program, also known as SSSS, was used by the Biden regime to target its political opposition.
As I exclusively reported, Tulsi Gabbard… pic.twitter.com/I1PEfwhSei
Gabbard became a target last year when she was placed on the watchlist. “I think they were trying to intimidate me, but also, they were trying to really create this chilling effect…send a message out to people that if you go and criticize then-Vice President Kamala Harris…you too, would face consequences,” she told Fox News host Laura Ingraham.
The program has faced plenty of scrutiny over its practices and lack of transparency. A 2020 Homeland Security audit found that the TSA “did not properly plan, implement, and manage the Quiet Skies program” and did not use metrics and safeguards to ensure that it was effective.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) criticized the program for implementing unscientific “behavior detection” tactics. These included identifying “excessive fidgeting” or “cold penetrating stares” as indicators that someone might be a terrorist.
Congress has been running the TSA Federal Air Marshal Service since January 2021. Rep. Bennie Thompson can add anyone to TSA’s Quiet Skies list with a letter. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen can remove anyone from TSA's Quiet Skies list— including her husband with a phone call. Federal… pic.twitter.com/WM8DE5X9ag
— Sonya LaBosco (@LaboscoSonya) June 4, 2025
The program also raised eyebrows when it was reported that William Shaheen — the husband of Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) — was flagged under the surveillance program. He was subjected to invasive searches and flagged for traveling with an individual who was identified as a “know or suspected terrorist,” according to CBS News.
However, Shaheen was removed from the watchlist two days after his wife contacted TSA Administrator David Pekoske. The agency placed him on a “secure flight exclusion list,” which meant he would no longer be subject to TSA screenings, proving once again that it is nice to be married to a member of the ruling class.
Needless to say, this program probably should be shut down. These initiatives are often touted as necessary measures to protect the public. Yet, they are often abused — intentionally and unintentionally — while failing to fend off actual threats.