A few days ago, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it would shut down TSA PreCheck and Global Entry effective immediately, due to the partial government shutdown. Now, you’ll have to explain to me how making average screening times longer helps address a potential staffing shortage, but that’s neither here nor there.
Hours later, the government partially reversed course, reopening TSA PreCheck, but keeping Global Entry closed. Many of us wondered what on earth was going on that would lead to such an illogical policy in the first place, and then what caused the reversal. We now have a bit more of an understanding of what’s going on…
Kristi Noem was the mastermind behind this plan?
When it was revealed that TSA PreCheck and Global Entry would be shut down, many of us wondered who was actually behind this policy, and what their motive was. Was this actually Trump’s idea, or did someone else come up with the idea? And if someone else did come up with it, did it get Trump’s approval prior to being implemented, or what?
The Washington Post now reports on what reportedly caused this whole mess. According to a White House official and person close to the Trump administration, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, and her adviser, Corey Landowski, came up with the idea.
They apparently tried to push this through without consulting top White House officials, only to see the policy reversed hours later, with intervention from senior Trump officials. Reports suggest that Noem was hoping to be a more central figure in this shutdown, kind of like how Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was a pretty big figure in the last one.
Air travel always tends to play a central role during shutdowns, given that it’s one of the areas where lack of government funding can most directly impact the average person. So it seems that Noem felt the best way to insert herself into all of this was to create some arbitrary rules around security that get attention.
Noem has been posting on social media about the shutdown, including interviews with TSA agents, thanking them for their service “as Democrats continue to withhold their paychecks.”
Still, none of this makes any sense… at all!
I understand the concept of wanting attention, and of wanting to create restrictions that make the other party look bad, or something. But I just don’t understand how anyone can argue that shutting down TSA PreCheck or Global Entry is a good solution when you have a staffing shortage.
Okay, it’s great that TSA PreCheck is open once again, but can someone — anyone — explain why Global Entry is still largely closed? There’s zero argument to be made that cutting Global Entry is a solution to a staffing shortage. So I guess I’m relieved that Trump intervened to reopen TSA PreCheck, but why hasn’t the same been done for Global Entry?
I still find the whole narrative to be beyond bizarre, with a DHS spokesperson saying the following:
“We decided to handle TSA PreCheck on an airport-by-airport basis depending on workforce and resource strain instead of a blanket policy. If the government stays shutdown, we will be forced to implement these emergency measures nationwide to mitigate resource and workforce strain. This political game by the Democrats is putting strain on our TSA workers who are working without pay.”
So basically “on an airport-by-airport basis we’ll choose to make screening times longer, with zero logic?”
Interestingly, the only real argument I’ve seen people make in support of this is “well blame the Democrats, because this puts pressure on them, and they’re responsible for the shutdown.” Again, that doesn’t explain the reason for this policy, which adds friction, rather than taking it away. Explain to me how this policy makes more sense than requiring all Post Office patrons to do 20 jumping jacks before entering, while blaming the shutdown?
Bottom line
Reports suggest that Kristi Noem was the mastermind of the TSA PreCheck and Global Entry suspensions, and there was a lack of consultation with other White House officials, based on how quickly the policy was reversed. While it’s good that the TSA PreCheck suspension has been reversed, there continues to be zero logic for shutting down Global Entry, yet that policy is still in place.
What do you make of this explanation for the TSA PreCheck shutdown and reversal?