The Department of Homeland Secure suspended Global Entry operations Sunday to preserve resources as the partial government shutdown entered a second week.
In a reversal, it said TSA PreCheck lanes would remain open but that "as staffing constraints arise, TSA will evaluate on a case by case basis and adjust operations accordingly."
The two Trusted Traveler programs, run by the TSA and Customs and Border Protection, allow previously screened and registered travelers to move through security and customs more quickly in separate lanes. In August 2024, the TSA said enrollment in Trusted Traveler programs, which includes PreCheck and Global Entry, had reached a record-setting 40 million people.
"The U.S. travel industry welcomes clarification that the Department of Homeland Security has decided to keep TSA PreCheck lanes operational at U.S. airports for now," the U.S. Travel Association said, "even as TSA officers continue to work without pay amid the partial government shutdown."
The shutdown began Feb. 14 when Congress and the Trump administration failed to reach a deal on funding legislation for the DHS, due to disagreements stemming from the administration's immigration operations. TSA officers are expected to work during the impasse after having already worked without pay through the record, 43-day government shutdown last fall. The U.S. Travel Association said that shutdown cost the travel industry more than $6 billion.
Travel as 'political football'
The DHS, which also suspended courtesy and family police escorts at airports for members of Congress to prioritize passenger screening, blamed the shutdown on the Democrats and said it "must take emergency measures to preserve limited funds and personnel to mitigate the national security and public safety damage at the hands of Congressional Democrats."
"Shutdowns have real world consequences," DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. "Not just for the men and women of DHS and their families who go without a paycheck, but it endangers our national security... The American people depend on this department every day, and we are making tough but necessary workforce and resource decisions to mitigate the damage inflicted by these politicians."
Democrats on the House Committee on Homeland Security criticized the decision, saying "Trump's DHS" was "kneecapping the programs that make travel smoother and secure and "ruining your travel on purpose."
In a statement published early Sunday, U.S. Travel CEO Geoff Freeman called the suspension "extremely disappointing."
"We are disgusted that over the last 90 days, Democrats and Republicans have used air traffic controllers, TSA, CBP and the entire travel experience as a means to achieve political ends," Freeman said. "Travelers should be prioritized, not leveraged. Travel is the gateway to the American economy, and Americans should not have their mobility, security or travel experience diminished because elected leaders fail to resolve their differences."
"Travel is vital to the American people, and it is time for policymakers to put the American people first," he added.
At Airlines for America, president and CEO Chris Sununu said that travelers were being used as a "political football amid another government shutdown."
"The announcement was issued with extremely short notice to travelers, giving them little time to plan accordingly, which is especially troubling at this time of record air travel," Sununu said.
This report was updated to include clarification that TSA PreCheck lanes remain operational and to add comments from Airlines for America and new comments from U.S. Travel.