U.S. Airport Expedited Entry Programs Suspended Amid DHS Shutdown

Due to the shutdown of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), expedited entry programs at U.S. airports are being temporarily suspended.

Donald Trump, President of the United States, Yonhap News

According to the Washington Post (WSJ) on the 21st, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that starting at 6:00 a.m. on the 22nd (U.S. Eastern Time), it will temporarily suspend operation of the security screening simplification program “TSA PreCheck” and the customs and immigration fast-track program “Global Entry.” This is an emergency personnel redeployment measure taken eight days after the shutdown began on the 14th, when the U.S. Congress failed to pass the DHS budget by the deadline.

Airport protocol and expedited assistance services used by members of the U.S. Congress will also be suspended on the 22nd. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said in a statement, “We have made a difficult but unavoidable decision in terms of personnel and resource allocation,” explaining that “this is to prioritize support for general travelers.”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), an agency under the Department of Homeland Security, has also entered an emergency posture. FEMA has decided to suspend routine administrative work that is not directly related to disasters in order to focus on responding to emergencies such as winter storms. Nevertheless, concerns are growing that on-site response may also be disrupted as personnel and business-trip restrictions caused by the shutdown continue.

About 91% of DHS employees are continuing to work without pay. As salaries scheduled for March 3, the first payday since the shutdown, are not being paid, there are also concerns that additional disruptions to work may occur due to employee absences or sick leave.

The current shutdown arose after the DHS budget bill failed to pass amid conflict in Congress over the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policy. Negotiations among the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, and the White House are continuing even through a one-week recess, but they have yet to narrow their differences.