Congressman Abe Hamadeh (AZ-08) expressed his gratitude to Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, for his tireless efforts to uncover the misuse of the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) Quiet Skies Program.
The program, intended as a security measure, has been revealed to target Americans, including Hamadeh, in what Senator Paul described as “an unconstitutional dystopian nightmare masquerading as a security tool.”
Congressman Hamadeh, a former U.S. Army Reserve Intelligence Officer with Top-Secret clearance and a former Maricopa County prosecutor, was shocked to learn he was among those targeted by the Biden administration through this program.
“I am disappointed but not surprised that the Biden Administration used TSA’s Quiet Skies rules to target me while I was serving this nation in the U.S. Army Reserves and as a prosecutor in the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office”, said Hamadeh. “My dedication to this nation and its security has never been questioned.”
According to a flash report released by Senator Paul prior to the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on Tuesday, September 30th, the Quiet Skies program and related watchlists were used to surveil Americans, including three Republican lawmakers, shortly after they engaged in political activities such as opposing the Biden administration’s policies.
The report further revealed that at least two dozen Americans were placed on watchlists for actions like protesting mask mandates or removing masks on flights.
Following January 6, 2021, TSA issued directives authorizing watchlists based solely on suspected travel to Washington, D.C., without evidence of unlawful conduct. Hamadeh, who questioned the integrity of Arizona’s 2022 General Election during his candidacy, noted the personal impact of this surveillance: “Because I naturally questioned the validity of the election in 2022, Democrats hurled epithets and implied that I was a threat to our democracy. When in fact, I have done and will continue to do all I can to protect and defend our Republic.”
The congressman also noted that he was targeted alongside Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, a fellow veteran and former congresswoman.
“The corrupt system targets those whom they fear the most,” stated Hamadeh. “It is clear evidence that this program was used to target critics of Joe Biden and his fellow Democrats, who have demonstrated a blatant disregard for our civil liberties and spit on our cherished Constitution.”
The Department of Homeland Security has acknowledged that the Quiet Skies program has failed to prevent a single terrorist attack since its start, raising further questions about its effectiveness and purpose.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
At a recent Senate hearing, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said something I never thought I’d hear from a top federal health official: “I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me.”
That wasn’t a dodge. That was honesty. And, frankly, it’s a breath of fresh air.
For too long, health bureaucrats in Washington have believed their job is to dictate Americans’ medical decisions. That mindset led to lockdowns, mandates, censorship, and the sidelining of safe, effective tools that were widely distributed earlier in the pandemic, such as monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Secretary Kennedy’s testimony suggests a different view: the role of government is not to play doctor, but to protect the freedom of every American to decide what’s best for their own health.
That’s the right idea and the essence of true healthcare choice.
Contrast this with the last administration. Under President Joe Biden, Americans were forced to choose between a vaccine they didn’t want — with a plethora of boosters — and continued restrictions on their liberties.
Biden didn’t promote vaccine choice. He aggressively pushed vaccines and boosters as the primary defense from COVID. Meanwhile, monoclonal antibodies — preventive and therapeutic tools that cut the risk of hospitalization and death as high as 74% and 84% in high-risk patients — were pushed aside. The administration significantly scaled back their distribution even though mAbs successfully treated President Donald Trump and were backed by countless doctors who called for broader access.
Why? Because the Biden White House chose to prioritize vaccination above all else. It preferred to micromanage Americans’ care rather than empower families to make informed decisions.
That wasn’t science, it was politics. And Americans paid the price.
As my son Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, also a medical doctor, said countless times, some patients were even denied mAbs due to what he described as “partisan political games” — namely, the politically-charged FDA guidance that many hospitals felt pressured to follow throughout the pandemic. Five years later, the FDA still hasn’t fully approved a monoclonal antibody product.
That’s not “following the science” or respecting the people’s right and ability to make their own health care decisions. That’s the worst type of government overreach — micromanaging your medical decisions by erecting regulatory roadblocks designed to limit your options by and control what treatments and preventatives you can access. When Washington dictates what care you’re allowed to pursue, what opinions you’re allowed to hear, and what shots you’re required to take, you’re no longer living in a free country.
Now, under a new administration and with Secretary Kennedy at the helm of HHS, there’s an opportunity to chart a new course — one rooted in freedom, not fear.
Americans should have access to vaccines if they want them, but they should also have access to alternatives like mAbs. They should be allowed to hear all sides of a medical debate, not just the one approved by government “experts.” And they should be trusted to make informed choices for themselves and their families.
Secretary Kennedy’s comments may not have pleased the political class, but they honored the principle this country was founded on: government serves the people, not the other way around.
Real health policy doesn’t come from control. It comes from having confidence in the American people to make their own choices. At this early stage, I’m so glad that Secretary Kennedy seems to understand as much.
