Earlier, I covered how the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced plans to shut down TSA PreCheck and Global Entry, due to the partial government shutdown. Well, there’s an update, which I guess shouldn’t come as a surprise at all.
In this post:
TSA PreCheck will remain open after all, of course
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has just released a statement that PreCheck checkpoints won’t be closed after all. Instead, we’re being told that these situations will be handled on a case by case basis:
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. 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.
There’s no news yet on whether Global Entry is suspended or not.
Why is the level of incompetency so high?
You know, I started my post about the policy change by writing the following:
This doesn’t strike me as being terribly logical, or as a winning strategy politically… but maybe it’ll get reversed within hours, kind of like that El Paso Airport (ELP) shut down?
I was only sort of being sarcastic, but I guess not really, because of course this is how things play out. Reports suggest that airlines and the TSA were caught completely off guard by this announcement, so one wonders how half-baked this idea was. Or let’s be honest, there’s nothing to “wonder” here — this wasn’t even half-baked, that’s giving them too much credit.
You’ve gotta love the people who came out in support of this. One of the OMAAT community’s most prolific commenters described this as “bargaining on a level most of us can never hope to achieve.” Indeed, fabulous job to President Trump and Secretary Noem for this exceptional achievement… talk about the art of the deal! Are we tired of “winning” yet, and of being the envy of the world?
Bottom line
Good news… TSA PreCheck lanes aren’t closing after all. Because as it turns out, if you anticipate having a staffing shortage, increasing the average amount of time it takes to screen each passenger isn’t a best practice. One seriously has to wonder how this country even semi-functions, when we have such mind-bogglingly dumb policies put in place, only to then be reversed hours later.
Which Trump policy did you prefer — the one where they put this rule in place, or the one where they reversed course hours later?
Local TSA leadership did not comply with the directive to suspend TSA Pre-Check. How good would it have looked for the Administration had it not reversed course?
Ben - I read your initial post and didn’t see an announcement from DHS about suspending TSA PreCheck or Global Entry. I only saw a statement from the administration about suspending special privileges and escorts to focus on the general public. Did the administration really reverse course after 3 hours? Or did they simply respond to democratic talking points claiming that TSA PreCheck and Global Entry had been suspended to clarify that this has not...
Ben - I read your initial post and didn’t see an announcement from DHS about suspending TSA PreCheck or Global Entry. I only saw a statement from the administration about suspending special privileges and escorts to focus on the general public. Did the administration really reverse course after 3 hours? Or did they simply respond to democratic talking points claiming that TSA PreCheck and Global Entry had been suspended to clarify that this has not happened. From what you’ve posted I can’t tell.
"Hail to the Chief", maga style:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pct1uEhAqBQ
Unless something changed, TSA workers are not allowed to strike during a shutdown (which is not cool for them) so this was never about staffing. Just a punitive measure against the traveling public that was going to backfire if implemented.
TSA employees will continue to be beaten until their morale improves. The message they were sent is that slowing down the lines and raising public frustration, at a time when they are not sure when they will receive their next paycheck, is not a concern because management knows most of them vote Democratic.
The military is allowed to disobey illegal orders. TSA, despite their uniforms, is not allowed to disobey idiotic ones.
the only thing that is more pathetic than laughable is the number of people not just here but in any society that think that railing against one side while ignoring the flaws and defects of the other makes their point valid; it actually shows how incredibly naive they are.
I have lived through gas lines that lasted for weeks in the 70s; a "trumped up" war in the Middle East that had no real evidence,...
the only thing that is more pathetic than laughable is the number of people not just here but in any society that think that railing against one side while ignoring the flaws and defects of the other makes their point valid; it actually shows how incredibly naive they are.
I have lived through gas lines that lasted for weeks in the 70s; a "trumped up" war in the Middle East that had no real evidence, 40 year high inflation this decade, and now a 2 hour long TSA shutdown. All caused by government incompetence.
some people seriously need to consider that the alternative is to live in a society where you have no choice and for many even expressing dissent for any side can end your life.
Democracies have plenty of flaws but one side never retains power. That is not true in other forms of government.
Anyone looking to achieve mastery in a given skill would do well do well to mirror the consistency and passion with which Tim Dunn has dedicated himself to the art of bootlicking. Although I hope your skill is something more useful.
Secretary Kardashian is in way over her head. She has zero qualifications for the job other than fawning over Trump and wearing enough makeup to get his attention.
Democrat communists are opportunistic misogynists when convenient
Almost as convenient as Noem banging Corey in the back of her luxury jet while on “work”
This Democrat communist misogynist cannot figure out a way to further insult a woman who did a Mafia-style hit on her own dog.
This has nothing to do with misogyny or radical leftism. Plenty of us on the right are as disgusted with Whiskey Ken as we are with ICE Barbie. Cable news hosts have no business serving in cabinet level positions.
Let's shut down the special lanes behind Delta One and United Global Services check ins, etc.
Indefensible in normal times, now doubly so when TSA is budget constrained.
When Congressional Government is not working… why give them any respect or perks.
“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.”
George Washington was a dog lover New York that goes for local government as well.
"If we can't take away Global Entry from people if they vote for Democrats, we will take it away from everybody" is a... policy, I guess.
Democrats blocked funding for HOMELAND SECURITY including the Coast Guard, Secret Service, and TSA.
ICE and CBP are still funded and will continue to deport criminal illegal aliens.
Global Entry is run by CBP. If it's still funded and fully functioning, why was it announced to be temporarily shutdown??
Ben, you should long know by now that it is useless to lay out factual logic-based arguments to dissect the current administration’s actions which, many times are idiotic and sadly, sometimes, quite dangerous. This president and his crony enablers often resort to knee-jerk revenge governing. Their ongoing credo is to at all cost use what ever means are necessary, both inside and outside the law, to muzzle critics and, flailing that, punish them to the...
Ben, you should long know by now that it is useless to lay out factual logic-based arguments to dissect the current administration’s actions which, many times are idiotic and sadly, sometimes, quite dangerous. This president and his crony enablers often resort to knee-jerk revenge governing. Their ongoing credo is to at all cost use what ever means are necessary, both inside and outside the law, to muzzle critics and, flailing that, punish them to the maximum extent possible. Clearly this silly ploy to suspend Pre-check was nothing more than a wildly inane attempt to deflect the real underlying blame for egregious immigration policies away POTUS/Homeland Security by creating real pain for the public at large.
Our entire government is incompetent and that's by design. The real people running our country want it that way and both parties comply. Whether Trump or Bernie Sanders. They all have their marching orders.
Hecking antisemitism there guy!
Seven Pages of a Sealed Watergate File Sat Undiscovered. Until Now.
Feb. 8, 2026.
This is from the New York Times
You are so right, the S W A M P is real and orchestrated. Coups by this group and those connected to Government, and have been orchestrated in the past… as were demonstrably orchestrated recently against President Trump by multiple levels of governmental bureaucracy during the past few presidents. This bureaucracy will...
Seven Pages of a Sealed Watergate File Sat Undiscovered. Until Now.
Feb. 8, 2026.
This is from the New York Times
You are so right, the S W A M P is real and orchestrated. Coups by this group and those connected to Government, and have been orchestrated in the past… as were demonstrably orchestrated recently against President Trump by multiple levels of governmental bureaucracy during the past few presidents. This bureaucracy will use all means of power at their disposal to maintain their power and manipulate the American people, no matter how much it costs our national economy or undermines our American Culture.
The coup of Congressional Swamp politics and bloated budgets are all part of the coup to power and fund the corruption of government.
Congress has to take a hard look at themselves and know they are part and parcel to blame for the destruction of America and American cultural integrity by helping not to curb the ability of the swamp to orchestrate such coups, which are undermining the desires of the American people of having a functioning pro America and American government.
I’m pretty sure Stephen Miller made the original decision to shut down TSA on his own.
Cool. Do Global Entry still, too. Otherwise, give us money back, prorated. I want my $0.03/day or whatever.
The comments I found ridiculous were the people complaining about how you'd made a political post.
Normally I would agree with this, and I like the fact this blog stays out of politics – but when an administration directly chooses to perform an action that negatively affects all travelers (not just frequent travelers!), what are you supposed to do, just ignore it?
I was actually on the verge of cancelling a trip to...
The comments I found ridiculous were the people complaining about how you'd made a political post.
Normally I would agree with this, and I like the fact this blog stays out of politics – but when an administration directly chooses to perform an action that negatively affects all travelers (not just frequent travelers!), what are you supposed to do, just ignore it?
I was actually on the verge of cancelling a trip to the US on the basis of this, not because of political objections but because there are other destinations in the world that don't come with the potential for needless hassle.
How about less gate-keeping, in-general. Say what you wanna say. Get political; don’t. You do you.
As for the US, please consider visiting another time. We’ve gotta sort out ourselves. Lots of better places to be these days. Go to the Maldives. Take a safari. Try Venice. Go Down Under. See the Himalayas. Check back in a little while. Sowie.
The Art Of The Deal. It’s like our country is being run by Lufthansa.
TACO!
Landed at EWR from United flight from LHR. No GE or even MPC available. But there was no line so no wait.
I bet this was one of the seat-of-the-pants decisions by the self-proclaimed "stable genius". And the same goes for the reversal.
TACO
Let’s see some of the MAGAts’ response now…Dave S and Timmy D
TACO
And meanwhile we are distracted from the Epstein files
We have a winner!!!!
C & D students...
This blog is a typical housewife's den where Ben hastily adds so-called breaking news without giving it time to mature.
If you can’t handle these ‘hot takes,’ take a deep breath and carry on, bruh.
I made it through JFK precheck this morning ahead of the storm. It was the most chaotic I've seen at any airport - stay frosty, people!
"Why is the level of incompetency so high?" the answer may shock you.
Clown show.
Just delete the word "can" and the original comment is 100% correct: This is “bargaining on a level most of us never hope to achieve.”
Indeed, only those who are truly "tired of winning" (or, perhaps, never wanted to win in the first place) hope to achieve this level of bargaining.
This is why I laugh at people comparing Trump to a true fascist dictator. The TACO phenomenon is so true. When dictators make an unpopular decision, they see it through to the end, no matter the pushback. In a real fascist regime, if they suspended PreCheck and GE today, and people protested, they would announce permanently terminating it. Trump has the same size of balls as my neutered dog.
chump is attempting to be dictator, he is just so darn stupid, he cannot even get that right.
A simple case of just another white man failing upwards.
Stupid and more importantly lazy. Trump will move his base to the next shiny object, culture war, whatever to distract from his terrible ability to competently run the country. Moron MAGA's on here taking this as a win to own the libs. Sad
Pedo needs to hang them up.
this is entirely ignorant of the scholarship on authoritarianism -- these regimes are more often than not fickle, incompetent, buffoonish, and uncoordinated, in large part because regime roles are staffed via rivalrous patronage systems
I am the most prolific commenter on OMAAT although the quoted comment was not me as I am not a MAGA tard.