DHS suspends TSA PreCheck, Global Entry as partial government shutdown continues

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will suspend TSA PreCheck and Global Entry beginning Sunday as a partial government shutdown continues.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Saturday blamed Democrats for shutting down the government, saying they were causing "serious real world consequences."

"This is the third time that Democrat politicians have shut down this department during the 119th Congress," Noem said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. "Shutdowns have serious real world consequences, not just for the men and women of DHS and their families who go without a paycheck, but it endangers our national security."

The suspension of the programs, which allow some travelers to quickly get through airport security, was first reported by The Washington Post, which noted the changes would begin Sunday at 6 a.m. EST.

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Noem said the department was making "tough but necessary workforce and resource decisions to mitigate the damage inflicted by these politicians."

She said TSA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) would be "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), she added, will halt all non-disaster-related response to prioritize disasters.

Noem noted the suspension comes as a major storm is expected to hit the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.

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Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, criticized the Trump administration for "idiotically" shutting down the programs "to punish the American people."

"This is Trump and Kristi Noem purposely punishing the American people and using them as pawns for their sadistic political games," he said in a statement. "TSA PreCheck and Global Entry REDUCE airport lines and ease the burden on DHS staff who are working without pay because of Trump's abuse of the Department and killing of American citizens."

He called on the administration to immediately reverse the decision.

The third government shutdown in under half a year began on Feb. 14 after Democrats and Republicans were at an impasse on reaching a deal regarding President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.

DHS was the only department left without federal funding after Democrats walked away from a bipartisan plan released last month in response to the deaths of two U.S. citizens at the hands of federal law enforcement agents in Minneapolis during anti-ICE demonstrations.

DHS is the third-largest Cabinet agency with nearly 272,000 employees. Roughly 90% of DHS workers were expected to continue working, many without pay, according to the department’s Sept. 2025 government shutdown plan.

DHS has jurisdiction over numerous agencies and offices, including CBP, TSA, FEMA, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the U.S. Coast Guard, and the U.S. Secret Service.

Fox News Digital's Elizabeth Elkind and Alex Miller contributed to this report.

California woman hospitalized with chemical burns after portable charger explodes while sleeping

A Los Angeles-based sports reporter had a scary morning earlier this month, when her portable charger suddenly exploded while she was sleeping, leaving her with chemical burns on her arm and hair and a hole in her bed.

"PSA to anybody that uses a portable charger: don’t," Ashley Nevel said in a video she posted to her social media on Feb. 15. "Mine literally just exploded in my bed. Everything caught on fire. My mattress — burned a hole through it. I literally have nowhere to sleep."

She explained that she has an emergency fire blanket that was a housewarming gift from her dad, according to KCAL-TV, that she believes saved her life.

"Stop using portable chargers," she reiterated. "I smell like smoke. My entire apartment needs to be cleaned to get the toxicity out. I can’t even stay there. It’s really bad. So, don’t use a portable charger. Make sure you have a fire blanket handy because it honestly saved my life, and I’m just grateful to be alive."

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After she got back from the hospital, Nevel added, "Another terrifying part of all of this is my phone was charged. It was charging in the charger, and it overheated when the charger exploded, so I couldn’t call 911. I couldn’t make any phone calls."

She said she was forced to run out on her balcony and scream for others to call 911 — all after waking up to the explosion at 5 a.m.

"Thankfully my neighbors were like, amazing," she said, adding that emergency responders arrived within three minutes.

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"When you’re dealing with something like that, fight or flight kicks in," she said. "You have no f---ing idea what to do."

Later, she also suggested that banning portable chargers on airplanes altogether might be a good idea.

"What if I was on an airplane and that happened?" she questioned. "What do you do in that situation? Like, everyone is in danger with a small little charger and I never thought that was going to happen to me."

She added that she’s been walking around with portable chargers for years.

"You never think something is going to happen to you, and I’m just more thankful it isn’t more serious than it could have been," she continued. "Yeah, throw away your portable chargers."

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