Passengers walk through the entrance to a TSA PreCheck in Terminal 1 at O’Hare International Airport on Wednesday, February 1, 2017 in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Armando L. Sánchez | Chicago Tribune | Getty Images
The Department of Homeland Security on Sunday suspended the TSA PreCheck and Global Entry security programs that allow rapid passage through airport security checkpoints, citing a partial situation. government shutdown.
The move comes as the northeastern United States prepares for a big winter storm it could disrupt airline flights for days.
The pause took effect at 6 a.m. ET on Sunday, DHS said.
“TSA and CBP are prioritizing the general traveling population at our airports and ports of entry and suspending courtesy escorts and special privileges,” the DHS secretary said. Kristi Noem said in a statement.
TSA PreCheck has more than 20 million active members, according to the agency’s 2024 count.
“PreCheck members accounted for 34 percent of passengers screened at airport checkpoints,” The New York Times reported in August 2025, citing a TSA spokesperson. The program is available in more than 200 U.S. airports, the newspaper notes.
The pause in the TSA PreCheck and Global Entry security programs is the result of the partial government shutdown that began Feb. 14, following the failure of lawmakers in Congress to reach an agreement to fund DHS.
Airlines to have canceled more than 6,000 flights until Monday and waived cancellation and change fees for airports stretching from Virginia to Maine ahead of the East Coast blizzard.
Members of the travel industry sharply criticized the move, which comes just months after last year’s federal government shutdown affected air travel and dampened bookings, executives say.
“A4A is deeply concerned about the suspension of the TSA PreCheck and Global Entry programs and that the traveling public is, once again, being used as a political football amid yet another government shutdown,” said Chris Sununu, CEO of Airlines for America. The group represents American airlines, Delta Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and other major carriers.
“The announcement was released on extremely short notice to travelers, leaving them little time to plan accordingly, which is particularly troubling during this time of record air travel,” he added.
The fall government shutdown, the longest on record, cost the travel industry and other sectors $6.1 billion, the group said. These disruptions affected around 6 million travelers.
Read more airline news CNBCThe US Travel Association, which represents major hotel chains and many other companies in the industry, called the DHS decision “extremely disappointing.”
“We are disgusted that over the past 90 days, Democrats and Republicans have used air traffic controllers, TSA, CBP and the entire travel experience as a means to achieve political goals,” he said in a statement.
