DHS Suspends Tsa Precheck and Global Entry as Shutdown and Northeast Blizzard Threaten Travel
The Department of Homeland Security has suspended the Tsa Precheck and Global Entry programs from early Sunday, a move that will remove expedited security and customs lanes for approved travelers at U. S. airports and ports of entry. The action arrives in the middle of a partial government shutdown that began on 14 February and risks snarling travel as a blizzard moves into the northeast.
Tsa Precheck suspension and Global Entry pause
The suspension ends the benefits of two popular programs: Tsa Precheck, which permits approved passengers to use faster security lanes designed to reduce wait times, and Global Entry, which expedites U. S. customs and immigration clearance for pre-approved, low-risk international travelers entering the country. DHS said the pause is effective from early Sunday and will remove the special-privilege escorts and courtesies that had helped speed some passengers through screening and passport control.
Kristi Noem statement on operational priorities
Homeland security secretary Kristi Noem framed the suspension as a consequence of the funding impasse, saying "shutdowns have serious real world consequences. " She added that "TSA and [Customs and Border Protection] CBP are prioritizing the general traveling population at our airports and ports of entry and suspending courtesy and special privilege escorts. " The department had already faced funding disruption after lawmakers failed to pass a DHS funding bill.
Airlines for America and industry concerns
Some U. S. airlines criticized the Department of Homeland Security for the short notice. Chris Sununu, chief executive of Airlines for America and the former Republican governor of New Hampshire, said the trade group is "deeply concerned that... the traveling public will be, once again, used as a political football amid another government shutdown. " He added that the news of the suspensions came at "extremely short notice to travelers, giving them little time to plan accordingly, " and urged Congress to "get a deal done. "
Political fallout: House Democrats and the funding standoff
Democrats on the House committee on homeland security criticized the decision, accusing the administration of "kneecapping the programs that make travel smoother and secure" and saying the move was "ruining your travel on purpose" in social media posts. The partial government shutdown began on 14 February after Democrats and the White House failed to reach a deal to fund DHS. Democrats have been demanding reforms to immigration operations that they say are central to Donald Trump's aggressive mass deportation campaign.
Background: enforcement controversies and a funding windfall
The department had received what was described as an enormous funding windfall in legislation last year, but its key enforcement agencies — Immigration and Customs Enforcement and border patrol — have been embroiled in controversy. Over the past year those agencies were accused of cracking down violently on enforcement and protests in several Democratic-run cities. That pattern culminated, most dramatically, when two U. S. citizens protesting an especially intense crackdown in Minneapolis last month were shot dead; the Trump administration leaders quickly criticized the victims while defending the federal officers. Those killings prompted a national backlash and a partial retreat by the White House and helped drive Democrats to lead a block on DHS funding pending reform, producing the current shutdown.
Economic and travel impacts
Travel leaders warned of tangible consequences: a similar shutdown last year produced losses of more than $6 billion across the travel industry and related sectors. The suspension of Tsa Precheck and Global Entry is expected to lengthen security and customs lines, a problem made worse where weather threatens travel—officials noted the pause was unfolding as an incoming blizzard moved across the northeast, heightening the potential for delays and missed connections.
What makes this notable is that the suspension comes despite large sums allocated to DHS in recent legislation, underscoring how political disagreement over immigration enforcement and agency conduct has translated directly into frontline disruptions for passengers and the travel industry.
