After fierce public outcry pertaining to reports of the suspension of both the TSA Pre✓ and Global Entry trusted traveler programs which were scheduled to be suspended by the Department of Homeland Security of the United States effective as of today, Sunday, February 22, 2026 at 6:00 in the morning Eastern Standard Time, only the Global Entry trusted traveler program will be suspended and TSA Pre✓ will remain in service.
Global Entry To Be Suspended But Not TSA Pre✓: Sunday, February 22 Travel Alert
The original temporary suspension of the two popular programs — which allow travelers who are registered with those programs to move more quickly through security checkpoints at airports — was due to the shutdown of much of the agency of the federal government.
Attempting to confirm this information at the official Internet web site of the Transportation Security Administration was futile, as the following message was posted there at the time that this article was written:
NOTICE: Due to the lapse in federal funding, this website will not be actively managed. This website was last updated on February 17, 2026 and will not be updated until after funding is enacted. As such, information on this website may not be up to date. Transactions submitted via this website might not be processed and we will not be able to respond to inquiries until after appropriations are enacted.
A similar message was posted at the official Internet web site of the Department of Homeland Security.
At this time, TSA PreCheck remains operational with no change for the traveling public. As staffing constraints arise, TSA will evaluate on a case by case basis and adjust operations accordingly.
…along with this interesting little tidbit of information:
Courtesy escorts, such as those for Members of Congress, have been suspended to allow officers to focus on the mission of securing America’s skies.
The shutdown of the federal government of the United States has concluded moments ago tonight on
Wednesday, November 12, 2025 marked the end of 43 days of the federal government being shut down — which broke the record for the longest shutdown of the government in the history of the United States — as after members of the House of Representatives voted 222 to 209, the president of the United States signed into law a spending package.
Final Boarding Call
Yet again, the politicians who are supposed to be working for you cannot work together and come to an agreement — and once again, you ultimately wind up paying for it. This is another of countless examples of the ludicrousness and confusion of politics infringing upon travel.
If you are traveling internationally, the suspension of the Global Entry trusted traveler program will likely affect you. Because of the confusion as the result of changing circumstances pertaining to this news, if you are registered with either TSA Pre✓ or Global Entry, please allow yourself some extra time in going through the security checkpoint or customs at the airport just in case.
Photograph ©2025 by Brian Cohen.
