TSA PreCheck Suspended Amid New Government Shutdown
A few months after the longest full federal government shutdown in history, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is now in the midst of a partial shutdown as lawmakers have yet to agree on a plan to fund the agency. Now, some travelers will be feeling the pain at the airport.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which runs the security checkpoints at the airport, is an arm of DHS. Now, as a result of the DHS shutdown, a key feature of the TSA has been suspended, potentially leading to longer wait times at the airport.
Partial Government Shutdown
While the federal government officially reopened in November of 2025 after the lengthy shutdown, it was opened as a temporary measure while more permanent funding plans were finalized.
Over the past several months and weeks, lawmakers have passed a series of spending bills to fund the federal government. DHS, however, is the last federal agency that is still lacking funding for the remainder of fiscal year 2026, which runs through September 30. As a result, a partial government shutdown has ensued, impacting DHS and the TSA.
Airport Delays
While TSA officials will continue to work through the government shutdown, a lengthy shutdown can lead to airport delays.
While TSA employees are eventually paid following a shutdown like this, they do typically have to work without pay until the government shutdown ends. Depending on the length of the shutdown and how many paychecks TSA agents miss, however, a shutdown may lead to staffing shortages and delays, as it did in the fall.
“Many TSOs work paycheck to paycheck trying to support themselves and their families. During a shutdown, the ability to pay for rent, bills, groceries, childcare, and gas just to get to work becomes very challenging, leading to increased unscheduled absences (call outs) as a shutdown progresses. Higher call outs can result in longer wait times at checkpoints, leading to missed or delayed flights, which has a cascading negative impact on the American economy,” acting TSA Administrator Ha Nguyen warned last week.
TSA PreCheck Suspended
As the DHS shutdown continues, the Washington Post reported on Sunday evening that the TSA is pausing its TSA PreCheck and Global Entry programs, which are popular amongst regular travelers seeking a more seamless security process.
The decision to suspend these two programs is one of several emergency measures that the agency said it is taking more than a week after Congress failed to send more money to DHS.
DHS Secretary Kristi L. Noem said in a statement that the agency is “making tough but necessary workforce and resource decisions” and prioritizing the “general traveling population” at airports and ports of entry.
The suspension of TSA PreCheck and Global Entry is a temporary measure, and both programs will presumably be brought back as soon as the DHS shutdown ends, but it's not clear how long the DHS shutdown will last.