WASHINGTON — A key program that gives frequent fliers a fast-track process at airport security has been restored after a brief closure during the Department of Homeland Security shutdown.
The Global Entry program, which gives pre-screened fliers a faster airport security process for international flights, had been suspended on Feb. 22, but has been revived as of Wednesday, the DHS confirmed.
That program had been halted alongside the Transportation Security Administration’s PreCheck program, which is a fast-track service specific to domestic flights. TSA quickly reversed course and restored PreCheck.
“As DHS continually evaluates measures it can take amidst the Democrats’ continued shutdown of the department, DHS [reactivated] Global Entry on March 11th at 5:00 AM ET,” a spokesperson told The Post.
“We are working hard to alleviate the disruptions to travelers caused by the Democrats’ shutdown.”
The move comes amid a recent spike in delays at airports as the DHS shutdown nears the one-month marker.
On Sunday, for example, some wait times in airports clocked in just under three hours during peak travel, something the Trump administration has blamed on the shutdown.
In Houston, for example, the wait time was nearly 165 minutes at one point on Sunday.
“This chaos is a direct result of Democrats and their refusal to fund DHS. These political stunts force patriotic TSA officers, who protect our skies from serious threats, to work without pay,” Lauren Bis, a DHS spokeswoman, said.
“These frontline heroes received only partial paychecks earlier this month and now face their first full missed paycheck, leading to financial hardship, absences, and crippling staffing shortages.”
DHS has been in a shutdown since Feb. 14 due to Senate Democrats’ filibustering a funding bill as part of their demands that Republicans agree to make sweeping reforms to immigration enforcement procedures.
Some of those reforms include steps such as banning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing masks and a stricter warrant process for immigration raids.
Republicans have already funded ICE and Customs and Border Protection via the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Fears about the DHS shutdown have grown since Operation Epic Fury in Iran began, amid concerns that the Islamic Republic may retaliate against the US homeland through sleeper cell attacks.
“Here we are, a shutdown instigated by Democrats, after they had agreed to the very bill they are now opposing,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) raged Tuesday.
“They are now saying they don’t even want to sit down and talk!” he added. “This is borderline obnoxious. This is indefensible and unjustifiable.”
