The short-lived decree that TSA PreCheck would be suspended during the government shutdown was never really about security or staffing, but a rogue move by a pair of incompetent government officials that even the Trump administration quickly overruled.
According to The Washington Post, the idea originated with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and her adviser, Corey Landowski, before being quickly shelved. By late Sunday morning, TSA PreCheck lanes were operating normally at most airports, despite the initial announcement that the program would be halted nationwide. At many airports, local leaders ignored the edict to close PreCheck lanes.
The whiplash left travelers understandably confused, but the episode reveals something beyond purely bureaucratic incompetence: it shows how TSA PreCheck became a political pressure point rather than a serious operational proposal.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on Live and Let's Fly.
