Federal officials said they suspended TSA PreCheck and Global Entry Sunday morning at 6 a.m. ET, but in many US airports, the lanes remained open past the deadline.
The Department of Homeland Security said on Saturday night that it would shut down the expedited airport security and immigration lanes due to the partial government shutdown, which left the department without funding.
The Transportation Security Administration, which operates PreCheck and is an agency of DHS, said otherwise: “At this time, TSA PreCheck remains operational with no change for the traveling public,” a TSA spokesperson said. “As staffing constraints arise, TSA will evaluate on a case-by-case basis and adjust operations accordingly.”
Travel chaos at airports is often an impetus to end government shutdowns. TSA and customs agents are considered essential employees and are working without pay during the partial shutdown, as they did for 43 days during the full shutdown in October.
Last year’s shutdown ended after air traffic controllers began to call out after several $0 paychecks. The 2019 shutdown ended soon after mass callouts temporarily halted travel in New York.
Social media posts showed that PreCheck lanes were still operating at major airports on Sunday, including Minneapolis, Washington, DC, and Orlando, hours after the 6 a.m. cutoff.
The injection of confusion comes on an already stressful travel weekend, with many flights canceled as the country prepares for a blizzard in parts of the Northeast. Airlines like JetBlue and Delta have preemptively said some flights in the region will be canceled and have offered travel waivers to affected flyers.
TSA PreCheck allows approved travelers to keep shoes and jackets on and leave laptops and liquids in bags, while Global Entry provides expedited passport control when returning to the US from abroad.
Both programs are widely used by frequent flyers and business travelers and are designed to help agents handle more travelers more efficiently through facial recognition and automation. If the lanes close, wait times at airports could increase significantly.
TSA PreCheck costs $76.75 per traveler for a five-year pass (renewals start at about $58); Global Entry, which includes PreCheck, costs $120. DHS said passengers with active memberships will be able to fly using standard security or immigration lines.
CLEAR, a separate, privately run expedited checkpoint, appears to be operating.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said the agency is “making tough but necessary workforce and resource decisions” and prioritizing the “general traveling population” at airports.
“Without appropriations, TSA simply cannot afford to risk overstretching our staff and weakening our security posture,” she added.
The lanes would reopen once the agency secures funding, DHS said.
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