Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and her top advisor and rumored lover Corey Lewandowski had devised a plan to suspend Transportation Security Administration (TSA) PreCheck, a program that allows registered travelers to save time by moving through airport security checkpoints more efficiently, starting at 6 a.m. on Sunday, February 22.
However, hours later, they reversed their plans and announced that the service would remain available. The reason behind the reversal? The White House was reportedly forced to intervene to block this plan.
Noem had employed the plan to “refocus Department personnel on the majority of travelers” amid the partial government shutdown. Records suggest that around 20 million Americans signed up for TSA PreCheck since the beginning of 2013.
A large number of those travelers are also members of Global Entry, a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) program that helps pre-approved travelers reduce waiting time while entering the United States.
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
Noem strongly condemned the Democrats’ shutdown of the government by saying that the suspension may pose a threat to national security.
“This is the third time that Democratic politicians have shut down this department during the 119th Congress. Shutdowns have serious real-world consequences, not just for the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and their families who go without a paycheck, but it endangers our national security,” she said on Sunday, February 22.
Noem added, “TSA and CBP are prioritizing the general traveling population at our airports and ports of entry and suspending courtesy and special privilege escorts. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will halt all non-disaster-related response to prioritize disasters. This is particularly important given this weekend another significant winter storm is forecast to impact the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast United States.”
Kristi Noem & the DHS suspended both the Global Entry & TSA PreCheck programs, due to reduced TSA staffing from the partial government shutdown but then reversed their decision & now only Global Entry is suspended. Used as a political football? https://t.co/Xo88j4vp81 pic.twitter.com/9C1osj78Dn
— TravelersUnited.org (@TravelersOrg) February 23, 2026
However, her comment was contradicted by a TSA spokesperson who previously confirmed that PreCheck “remains operational,” under surveillance.
“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,” the spokesperson added.
The DHS, whose funding has raised many eyebrows, has not officially released any statement regarding the reversal.
Lewandowski, who has been working for the DHS as a special government employee for only 130 days a year, did not comment on his role in suspending TSA PreCheck and said that the DHS is now prioritizing general travelers.
“(DHS aims to) prioritize the general traveling public to make sure they travel through the line as quickly as possible,” Lewandowski said. He also mentioned that they are evaluating ways to do that “on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the airport director.”
