U.S. DHS to pause two key travel programmes amid shutdown, report says

The halt in the programs run by ‌the DHS will begin from 6 a.m. ET (1100 GMT), the newspaper cited ‌an agency spokesperson as saying on ‌Saturday (February 21, 2026)

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will temporarily ​suspend from Sunday (February 22, 2026) its PreCheck and Global Entry ‌programs that speed airport security checks ​for some travellers, the Washington Post ⁠said, due to a shutdown at much of the agency.

The halt in the programs run by ‌the DHS will begin from 6 a.m. ET (1100 GMT), the newspaper cited ‌an agency spokesperson as saying on ‌Saturday (February 21, 2026).

DHS ⁠began a partial shutdown last week ⁠after Republicans and Democrats failed to reach a deal on immigration enforcement reforms.

The pause in programs is ​among the emergency measures ‌DHS isstaking to redirect staffing more than a week after Congress failed to send it more money, the paper ‌said.

The agency is “making tough but necessary ​workforce and resource decisions” and prioritising the “general traveling population” at entry points, the ⁠paper cited Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem as saying in a statement.

Reuters could not ‌immediately verify the report. The DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. TSA’s PreCheck program allows approved passengers through a dedicated, faster security lane at U.S. airports and is designed to reduce ‌wait times and streamline screening.

Global Entry expedites U.S. ​customs and immigration clearance for pre-approved, low-risk international travelers entering the United States.

On ⁠Thursday (February 19, 2026), 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.