DHS is suspending TSA PreCheck, Global Entry programs during the government shutdown
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will suspend TSA PreCheck and Global Entry beginning Sunday as the partial government shutdown continues.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Saturday accused Democrats of shutting down the government, saying they are creating “real world consequences.”
“This is the third time Democrat politicians have closed this door during the 119th Congress,” Noem said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. “The shutdown has serious consequences for the world, not only for the men and women of DHS and their families who go without pay, but it threatens the security of our country.”
The suspension of the programs, which allow some travelers to quickly go through airport security, was first reported by The Washington Post, which noted that the changes will begin Sunday at 6 a.m. EST.
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The Department of Homeland Security will suspend TSA PreCheck and Global Entry as the partial government shutdown continues. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
Noem said the department is making “difficult but necessary decisions to reduce the damage caused by these politicians.”
He said TSA and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will be “prioritizing the number of people traveling through our airports and ports of entry and establishing courtesy escorts and special privileges.” The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), he added, will suspend all non-disaster response to prioritize disasters.
Noem noted that the suspension comes as a major hurricane is expected to hit the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
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Kristi Noem blamed Democrats for the government shutdown as DHS announced changes to airport plans on Feb. 21. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, criticized the Trump administration for “stupidly” blocking programs to “punish the American people.”
“This is Trump and Kristi Noem who are deliberately punishing the American people and using them as leverage for their sad political games,” he said in a statement. “TSA PreCheck and Global Entry BREAK airport lines and reduce the burden on DHS employees who are working without pay because of Trump’s abuse of the Department and the killing of American citizens.”
He urged the management to immediately change this decision.
The third government shutdown in less than half a year began on February 14 after Democrats and Republicans struggled to reach an agreement on President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
DHS is the only department left without funding after Democrats withdrew from a bipartisan plan released last month in response to the deaths of two U.S. citizens at the hands of law enforcement in Minneapolis during anti-ICE protests.
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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said DHS will suspend some expedited travel programs during the Feb. 22 shutdown. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
DHS is the third largest Cabinet agency with nearly 272,000 employees. About 90% of DHS employees were expected to continue working, many without pay, under the federal shutdown plan of September 2025.
DHS has jurisdiction over many agencies and offices, including CBP, TSA, FEMA, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the US Coast Guard, and the US Secret Service.
Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind and Alex Miller contributed to this report.
