DHS suspends TSA PreCheck, Global Entry programs amid government shutdown

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will suspend TSA PreCheck and Global Entry starting Sunday as the partial government shutdown continues.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Saturday accused Democrats of shutting down the government and said they were causing “serious real-world consequences.”

“This is the third time Democratic politicians have shut down this department during the 119th Congress,” Noem said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Shutdowns have serious real-world consequences, not only for the men and women of DHS and their families working paycheck to paycheck, but they also endanger our national security.”

The suspension of programs that allow some travelers to quickly pass through airport security was first reported by The Washington Post, which said the changes would begin at 6 a.m. EST on Sunday.

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Noem said the department was making “difficult but necessary workforce and resource decisions to mitigate the harm these politicians are doing.”

He said TSA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will “prioritize the general population traveling through our airports and ports of entry and suspend courtesy and special privilege escorts.” He added that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will pause all non-disaster-related responses to prioritize disasters.

Noem stated that the suspension comes because a major storm is expected to hit the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.

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Kristi Noem blamed Democrats for the government shutdown after DHS announced changes to airport schedules on Feb. 21. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Rep. D-Miss., ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee. Rep. Bennie Thompson criticized the Trump administration for “stupidly” shutting down programs “to punish the American people.”

“This is Trump and Kristi Noem deliberately punishing the American people and using them as pawns in their sadistic political games,” he said in a statement. “TSA PreCheck and Global Entry REDUCES airport lines and eases the burden on DHS staff who are working without pay due to Trump’s abuse of the Department and murder of American citizens.”

He called on the administration to immediately reverse the decision.

The third government shutdown in less than six months began Feb. 14 after Democrats and Republicans were deadlocked on reaching an agreement on President Donald Trump’s restrictions on immigration.

DHS is the only department left without federal funding after Democrats walked away from a bipartisan plan announced in response to the killings of two U.S. citizens by federal law enforcement during anti-ICE demonstrations in Minneapolis last month.

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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said DHS will pause some expedited travel programs due to the Feb. 22 shutdown. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)

DHS is the third-largest Cabinet agency, with approximately 272,000 employees. Based on the department’s September 2025 government shutdown plan, approximately 90% of DHS employees were expected to continue working; most are free.

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.

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind and Alex Miller contributed to this report.