DHS Suspends Global Entry as Global Entry Tsa Precheck Shutdown Triggers Industry Alarm
The Department of Homeland Security has announced that the Global Entry program will be shut down for the duration of a partial government shutdown, a move that is already prompting warnings about travel disruptions. The Global Entry Tsa Precheck Shutdown has drawn scrutiny because the department initially planned to close both Global Entry and TSA PreCheck before reversing the PreCheck decision.
Impact of Global Entry Tsa Precheck Shutdown on travelers
Homeland Security officials confirmed that Global Entry will remain suspended as long as the partial government shutdown continues. The department had said late Saturday that it intended to suspend both Global Entry and the Transportation Security Administration’s PreCheck program, but then cancelled the planned PreCheck closure. The programs are designed to help speed registered travelers through security lines, and officials warned that suspending them could cause headaches for fliers.
TSA staffing constraints and operational guidance
The Transportation Security Administration has framed the service changes around staffing pressures, saying: "As staffing constraints arise, TSA will evaluate on a case-by-case basis and adjust operations accordingly. " That line reflects a cause-and-effect chain cited by officials: the partial shutdown has reduced available personnel, which in turn forces the agency to alter program availability and day-to-day operations.
Political standoff that precipitated the shutdown
The partial government shutdown began on Feb. 14 after Democrats and the White House were unable to reach a deal on legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security. Democrats have been demanding changes to immigration operations that are described as central to President Donald Trump’s deportation campaign, a dispute that helped precipitate the funding impasse and the subsequent disruptions at security and customs lanes.
Airlines for America and Chris Sununu sound alarm
Chris Sununu, president and chief executive officer of Airlines for America, said the trade group is deeply concerned that TSA PreCheck and Global Entry are being suspended and that the traveling public is being used as a "political football" amid another government shutdown. Sununu emphasized the short notice given to travelers, saying the announcement left passengers little time to plan at a moment of record air travel.
Sununu cited the fallout from last fall’s 43-day shutdown, calling it the longest in U. S. history and noting that it produced more than 9, 000 delayed or cancelled flights, significantly affected six million travelers and disrupted countless deliveries. That episode, he said, inflicted $6. 1 billion in losses across the travel industry and related sectors. His statement urged Congress to "get to the table and get a deal done" so TSA can fully operate and frontline employees can be paid. The trade group also asserted, in promotional language, that "THE TIME TO MODERNIZE IS NOW!"
Storms and airport cancellations compound disruptions
The shutdown’s operational effects are landing at a fraught moment for travelers: a major winter storm was set to hit the East Coast from Sunday into Monday, and carriers had canceled nine out of 10 flights scheduled to depart John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport and Boston Logan Airport for Monday. Those weather-driven cancellations add immediate, measurable impact to the strain created by altered security programs.
Photos and officials on the ground reflect strain
Images from airports underscore busy and strained checkpoints: people walked through TSA PreCheck at Dallas Love Field on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026; travelers stood by boards showing wait times at security checkpoints at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on the same day. Separately, U. S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was shown shaking hands with Transportation Security Administration Officer Monica Degro at a news conference at Harry Reid International Airport on Nov. 22, 2025, a snapshot that highlights the official attention on screening operations even as funding talks remain stalled.
What makes this notable is the convergence of a political impasse, operational staffing constraints and severe weather — together creating immediate airline cancellations, the suspension of a key trusted-traveler program and fresh industry warnings about the economic and logistical toll of extended disruptions.
