NEWYou can now listen to articles!
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will suspend TSA PreCheck and Global Entry beginning Sunday as a partial government shutdown continues.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Saturday blamed Democrats for shutting down the government, saying they were causing “serious real world consequences.”
“This is the third time that Democrat politicians have shut down this department during the 119th Congress,” Noem said in a statement provided to Digital. “Shutdowns have serious real world consequences, not just for the men and women of DHS and their families who go without a paycheck, but it endangers our national security.”
The suspension of the programs, which allow some travelers to quickly get through airport security, was first reported by The Washington Post, which noted the changes would begin Sunday at 6 a.m. EST.
DHS FUNDING BILL FAILS AFTER SCHUMER REJECTS TRUMP’S ICE REFORM OFFER
The Department of Homeland Security will suspend TSA PreCheck and Global Entry as a partial government shutdown continues. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
Noem said the department was making “tough but necessary workforce and resource decisions to mitigate the damage inflicted by these politicians.”
She said TSA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) would be “prioritizing the general traveling population at our airports and ports of entry and suspending courtesy and special privilege escorts.” The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), she added, will halt all non-disaster-related response to prioritize disasters.
Noem noted the suspension comes as a major storm is expected to hit the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
NOEM SLAMS DEMS BLOCKING DHS FUNDING BILL CITING TSA, FEMA, COAST GUARD: ‘I HOPE THEY COME TO THEIR SENSES’
Kristi Noem blamed Democrats for the government shutdown as DHS announced changes to airport programs on Feb. 21. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, criticized the Trump administration for “idiotically” shutting down the programs “to punish the American people.”
“This is Trump and Kristi Noem purposely punishing the American people and using them as pawns for their sadistic political games,” he said in a statement. “TSA PreCheck and Global Entry REDUCE airport lines and ease the burden on DHS staff who are working without pay because of Trump’s abuse of the Department and killing of American citizens.”
He called on the administration to immediately reverse the decision.
The third government shutdown in under half a year began on Feb. 14 after Democrats and Republicans were at an impasse on reaching a deal regarding President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
DHS was the only department left without federal funding after Democrats walked away from a bipartisan plan released last month in response to the deaths of two U.S. citizens at the hands of federal law enforcement agents in Minneapolis during anti-ICE demonstrations.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE APP
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said DHS would pause certain expedited travel programs amid the shutdown on Feb. 22. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
DHS is the third-largest Cabinet agency with nearly 272,000 employees. Roughly 90% of DHS workers were expected to continue working, many without pay, according to the department’s Sept. 2025 government shutdown plan.
DHS has jurisdiction over numerous agencies and offices, including CBP, TSA, FEMA, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the U.S. Coast Guard, and the U.S. Secret Service.
Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind and Alex Miller contributed to this report.
