Is TSA PreCheck suspended? What to know amid partial government shutdown

Travelers arriving at airports on Monday dealt with both delays and cancellations due to unrest in Mexico and a massive winter storm in the Northeast, but also faced confusion over Global Entry and TSA PreCheck.

The Department of Homeland Security said Saturday it planned to shut down the Global Entry program and the Transportation Security Administration’s PreCheck program amid the partial government shutdown.

DHS on Sunday changed course and canceled the PreCheck closure.

“As staffing constraints arise, TSA will evaluate on a case-by-case basis and adjust operations accordingly,” the agency said.

Global Entry remains suspended nationwide, including at both Midway International Airport and O’Hare International Airport in Chicago.

Global Entry is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection program that allows pre-approved, low-risk travelers to use expedited kiosks when entering the United States from abroad. There’s no specific government data that shows how much time passengers save at airports or other ports of entry from Global Entry but travel industry experts estimate that Global Entry cuts the amount of time passengers getting through customs from an average of 30 to 90 mins for regular customs lines to 5 to 10 minutes in Global Entry lines.

Those who have Global Entry also receive TSA PreCheck. The Department of Homeland Security said in 2024 that more than 20 million Americans had TSA PreCheck, and millions of those Americans have overlapping Global Entry memberships.

The turmoil at security and customs lanes is tied to a partial government shutdown that began Feb. 14 after Democrats and the White House were unable to reach a deal on legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security. Democrats have been demanding changes to immigration operations that are core to President Donald Trump’s deportation campaign.

Before announcing the PreCheck shutdown, Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement Saturday night that “shutdowns have serious real world consequences.” Noem said she would take away courtesy escorts from members of Congress at airports during the partial government shutdown as well.

Democrats on the House Committee on Homeland Security criticized Homeland Security handling of airport security after the initial announcement on Saturday night. They accused the administration of “kneecapping the programs that make travel smoother and secure.”