TSA Faced Questions โover Potential Reliance on GWU Extremism Group for Watchlist Nominations
WASHINGTONโ D.C. – Senator Rand โฃPaul raised concerns this week about the transportationโฃ Securityโ AdministrationS (TSA) watchlist nomination โขprocesses, questioning whether the agency relied on recommendations from the George Washington University Program on Extremism to add individualsโฃ to the watchlist. The inquiry stemmed from a hearing focusedโฃ on watchlist reform and follows revelations that โSouth Dakota Governor Kristi Noem endedโ a “Quiet Skies”โ watchlist in Juneโ that previously โincluded former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard.
Theโ controversy highlights ongoing scrutiny of the โฃgovernment’s watchlist system, which encompasses โhundreds of thousands of names across multiple agencies and hasโ long been criticized for its โlack of openness and potential for abuse. While concerns about watchlist overreach have historically been voiced by Democrats and civil liberties groups, the recent focus โขfrom Republican Senator Paul signals a broadening bipartisan interest in reform.
During the hearing, Paul pressed โคTSA officials โon โwhether theโ agency considered details provided by the GWU Program on Extremism when nominating individuals toโ the watchlist. Heโ specifically referenced the program’sโ focus on identifyingโ individuals exhibiting “pre-crime” indicators, raising concerns about โฃpotential โFirst Amendment violations.โ
“Are you aware of the Program on Extremism at George Washington university, โand have you ever used their assessments โin determining who goes on the watchlist?” Paul asked, according to aโข transcript of โthe hearing. TSA officials did not directly answer the question.
the Department of Homeland โSecurity (DHS) has not responded to requests for comment regarding โคthe nature of its relationship with the GWU Program on Extremism or whether the program’s assessments have โinfluenced watchlist nominations. DHS also has not released details about an internal investigation Noem cited as the reasonโ for ending โthe Quiet Skies watchlist, which included Gabbard, now the Director โคof National Intelligence.
Concerns aboutโค the watchlist system are not new. โขA 2014 report by The Intercept โ revealed the watchlist โฃcontained hundreds of thousands โof names. In โค2023, Senator Gary Peters, ranking โคDemocrat on the Homeland โSecurity Committee, released a report calling forโ reforms โmotivated by concerns raisedโ by Arab and Muslim constituents inโ Michigan. The Privacy and โฃCivil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) in January also advocated for โrevamping the watchlist to โขmake it easier for individuals to learn if โthey are โlisted and to challenge their inclusion.
However,oversight โmechanisms have been weakened. Formerโข President trump โeffectively disbandedโ the โPCLOB by firing Democratic members and significantly reducedโ staffing within a Homeland Securityโ office responsible for investigating โคcivil liberties complaints. โข Peters stated at the Paul-chaired hearing that internal oversight had been “gutted, eliminating โone of the โfew checks and balances โฃthat โคAmericans can use to protect their rights.”
