The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is suspending the TSA PreCheck and Global Entry airport security programs as a partial government shutdown continues.
The programs are designed to help speed registered travelers through security lines. Suspending them could cause headaches for passengers.
The homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, said in a statement that “shutdowns have serious real world consequences”. She said also that “TSA and [Customs and Border Protection] CBP are prioritizing the general traveling population at our airports and ports of entry and suspending courtesy and special privilege escorts”.
The suspensions will begin from 6am ET on Sunday, according to the Washington Post, which first reported the development.
TSA’s PreCheck program allows approved passengers through a faster security lane at US airports and is designed to reduce wait times. Global Entry expedites US customs and immigration clearance for pre-approved, low-risk international travelers entering the US.
Some US airlines were critical of DHS for giving travelers scant warning of the temporary suspension.
“Airlines for America is deeply concerned that ... the traveling public will be, once again, used as a political football amid another government shutdown,” said the chief executive for the trade association, Chris Sununu.
News of the suspensions came at “extremely short notice to travelers, giving them little time to plan accordingly,” he added, urging Congress to “get a deal done”.
A similar shutdown last year caused losses of $6.1bn across the travel industry and related sectors, he said.
The partial government shutdown began on 14 February after Democrats and the White House were unable to reach a deal on legislation to fund the DHS. Democrats have been demanding changes to immigration operations that are core to President Donald Trump’s deportation campaign.
Democrats on the House Committee on Homeland Security criticized the decision about airport security.
They said on social media the administration was “kneecapping the programs that make travel smoother and secure” and accused them of “ruining your travel on purpose”.
On Thursday, the Trump administration ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a part of the DHS, to suspend the deployment of hundreds of aid workers to disaster-affected areas, due to the DHS shutdown.
With Associated Press and Reuters
