There is nothing like an abuse of power, and far too many times we see members of Congress take advantage of this to circumvent the rules we all have to follow.
Those of us who travel regularly know that going through security at the airport can be a bit of a pain, but if it makes flying safer, so be it.
A Democrat senator decided that this was far too inconvenient for her husband, pulling some strings so he could bypass the checks. Reports broke this week that Sen. Jean Shaheen (D-NH) pulled some strings for her husband, William Shaheen. Mr. Shaheen had apparently been flagged as a “Co-Traveler with a Known or Suspected Terrorist (KST).” Sen. Shaheen then went to the TSA administrator to lobby for her husband’s removal from the watchlist. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated, “After Senator Shaheen directly lobbied the former Administrator, Pekoske gave repeated, explicit direction to exclude Shaheen from the Silent Partner Quiet Skies list. Pekoske granted Billy Shaheen a blanket Silent Partners Quiet Skies exemption despite Shaheen flying with a Known or Suspect Terrorist on three occasions.” The statement added, “All the while, Tulsi Gabbard, and many other Americans, were placed on the Silent Partners’ Quiet Skies list with little to no visibility, awareness, explanation, or oversight.” William Shaheen was stopped for the first time in July 2023 for having traveled with a suspected terrorist, and DHS revealed, “Shortly after Billy Shaheen’s travel, Senator Shaheen’s office made an inquiry to TSA about the Senator’s husband receiving enhanced screening on these two flights.” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem responded to the report, “It is clear that this program was used as a political rolodex of the Biden Administration — weaponized against its political foes and to benefit their well-heeled friends.”
This is a huge revelation when you consider that we only recently found out that former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) had been put on a watchlist after she spoke out against the Democrat Party and started to fall in line with Republicans. Gabbard explained, “My own government has placed me on a secret terror watch list targeting me as a potential domestic threat.”
$14 Billion in Medicaid Fraud, Waste, and Abuse, Dr. Mehmet Oz Says
‘There’s about $14 billion we’ve identified with DOGE, of folks who are duly enrolled wrongly in multiple states for Medicaid,’ Dr. Oz said.
Dr. Mehmet Oz, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) administrator, said his agency and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have identified at least $14 billion in fraud, waste, and abuse.
“There’s about $14 billion we’ve identified with DOGE, of folks who are duly enrolled wrongly in multiple states for Medicaid,” Oz
told Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures.”
As an example, Oz said: “You live in New Jersey, but you move to Pennsylvania, and which state gets your Medicaid? Turns out both states collect money from the federal government.”
CMS is investigating an unspecified number of hospitals nationwide that offer gender-confirming care to children.
CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, MD, sent a letter to “select hospitals” May 28, outlining concerns regarding quality standards and profits tied to treatments including puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and sex trait modification surgeries for minors.
“These are irreversible, high-risk procedures being conducted on vulnerable children, often at taxpayer expense,” said Dr. Oz said in a May 28 news release. “Hospitals accepting federal funds are expected to meet rigorous quality standards and uphold the highest level of stewardship when it comes to public resources — we will not turn a blind eye to procedures that lack a solid foundation of evidence and may result in lifelong harm.”
CMS is requesting hospitals respond within 30 days, providing details on how they obtain informed consent for pediatric patients, updates to clinical guidelines, documentation requirements for adverse outcomes and financial information, including facility- and provider-level revenue and profits.
The CMS investigation marks the latest in a series of federal actions related to gender-affirming care for minors. Shortly after taking office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to restrict federal funding and support for such treatments, though the measure is currently blocked by court challenges. In April, CMS also instructed state Medicaid agencies to not cover hormone therapies or gender-affirming surgery for children, citing “a lack of reliable evidence on long-term benefits.”
These actions come as numerous medical associations — including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association — have affirmed the medical necessity of treatments for gender dysphoria and opposed policies that exclude insurance coverage for gender-affirming care.
