WASHINGTON — A significant program that expedites airport security for frequent travelers has been reinstated following a short suspension due to the Department of Homeland Security’s shutdown.
The Global Entry initiative, which streamlines the security process for pre-approved travelers on international flights, was temporarily halted on February 22 but has now resumed operations, according to DHS officials.
This suspension also affected the Transportation Security Administration’s PreCheck service, designed to accelerate security checks for domestic flights. However, TSA acted swiftly to reinstate PreCheck shortly after the shutdown began.
“In light of the ongoing shutdown led by Democrats, DHS has taken steps to reactivate Global Entry as of March 11th at 5:00 AM ET,” a spokesperson informed The Post.
“Efforts are being made to mitigate the travel disruptions resulting from the Democrats’ shutdown of the department.”
This decision arrives in the midst of increasing delays at airports, with the DHS shutdown approaching its one-month anniversary.
On Sunday, for example, some wait times in airports clocked in just under three hours during peak travel, something the Trump administration has blamed on the shutdown.
In Houston, for example, the wait time was nearly 165 minutes at one point on Sunday.
“This chaos is a direct result of Democrats and their refusal to fund DHS. These political stunts force patriotic TSA officers, who protect our skies from serious threats, to work without pay,” Lauren Bis, a DHS spokeswoman, said.
“These frontline heroes received only partial paychecks earlier this month and now face their first full missed paycheck, leading to financial hardship, absences, and crippling staffing shortages.”
DHS has been in a shutdown since Feb. 14 due to Senate Democrats’ filibustering a funding bill as part of their demands that Republicans agree to make sweeping reforms to immigration enforcement procedures.
Some of those reforms include steps such as banning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing masks and a stricter warrant process for immigration raids.
Republicans have already funded ICE and Customs and Border Protection via the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Fears about the DHS shutdown have grown since Operation Epic Fury in Iran began, amid concerns that the Islamic Republic may retaliate against the US homeland through sleeper cell attacks.
“Here we are, a shutdown instigated by Democrats, after they had agreed to the very bill they are now opposing,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) raged Tuesday.
“They are now saying they don’t even want to sit down and talk!” he added. “This is borderline obnoxious. This is indefensible and unjustifiable.”
