Kristi Noem tried to put her foot down and corner the Democrats. However, it didn’t go as she might have hoped. Ultimately, what she put forward as a defensive strategy came back to haunt her.
The DHS secretary and her top advisor, Corey Lewandowski, announced a temporary shutdown of Transportation Security Administration PreCheck, a security initiative that helps low-risk, pre-registered travelers move quickly through airport lines. Noem and Lewandowski aimed to put pressure on Congress to halt Customs and Border Protection’s Global Entry program.
In a conversation with CNN, Kristi Noem revealed, “As we go forward and without funding for DHS, if we end up in a situation where these TSA officers have to go get other jobs and provide for their families, we’ll have to prioritize where the most travelers go through their security checkpoints.”
It’s absolutely crazy that @Sec_Noem tried to shut down TSA Pre-check without informing the White House first, or even clearing that with the President. @KristiNoem has just been one disaster after another. Complete failure. https://t.co/KR3NMPAUAO
— Travis Akers 🇺🇸 (@travisakers) February 24, 2026
She continued, “We prioritize security lanes as we can staff them. So the ones that use the most travelers, which is the standard lanes, will be prioritized because most of the traveling public goes through those lanes.”
Democrats rebuked the decision and called it a cheap political ploy that would only punish millions of Americans registered under TSA PreCheck. Industry insiders expressed grave concern that TSA workers, who are already unpaid, would lose their jobs.
For millions of American travelers registered on TSA PreCheck, the suspension would have resulted in unnecessary setbacks. However, Kristi Noem, who has been subjected to a series of controversies since the ICE raids, got in hot water with the White House with this declaration.
After air transport groups strongly opposed the decision, the White House came forward within hours to refute the announcement and said that TSA PreCheck will continue to operate like before.
TRUMP’S DHS IS PUNISHING TRAVELERS⁰⁰TSA PreCheck and Global Entry reduce lines and ease the burden on DHS staff ⁰⁰But Kristi Noem and her “confidant” Corey Lewandowski are kneecapping the programs that make travel smoother and secure⁰⁰They’re ruining your travel on purpose https://t.co/kBtiM4Urn9
— Homeland Dems (@HomelandDems) February 22, 2026
The dismissal of Noem’s policy by the White House paints a bigger picture. Her leadership is now being questioned, and internal conflict has been exposed. Noem’s decision to suspend TSA PreCheck without the approval from the White House confirms that it is not all sunshine and rainbows within the White House.
Even Trump, who is often criticized for making bold decisions, could see through the risks of suspending TSA PreCheck. Could Trump have lost confidence in Noem due to her miscalculations?
Corey Lewandowski is also under fire for being allowed to work only 130 days in a year. There are rumors of an affair between the two Trump allies, despite both of them being married.
DHS employees have often reported on office politics within the facility under Noem’s and Lewandowski’s leadership. All the chaos points toward only one question? Is the crack due to the internal power struggle getting too deep in the DHS?
