Yesterday morning we told you that both TSA PreCheck and Global Entry had been suspended effective 6 a.m. ET Sunday. Within hours, that story had already changed — partially. Here’s the full, somewhat chaotic, play-by-play of what actually happened.

Late Saturday night, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem put out a statement saying the agency was suspending both TSA PreCheck and Global Entry as part of emergency measures to redirect staff amid the ongoing funding lapse. The announcement landed with almost no warning to airports, airlines, or the 20+ million travelers enrolled in these programs.

By Sunday morning, airports were already acting on it. Precheck lanes briefly closed at Los Angeles International Airport, St. Louis Lambert International Airport, and others. Airlines sent notifications to customers warning they might need to use standard TSA lanes. The travel industry went into damage control mode.

Then, within hours, the TSA quietly issued a new statement: PreCheck was back on.

The reversal, according to the Washington Post, came after discussions between the TSA and the White House. No further explanation was offered. DHS simply updated its original statement to remove the mention of PreCheck, as if the announcement had never happened.

Here’s where things stand right now: TSA PreCheck is operational. Global Entry is not. The suspension of Global Entry — the program used by over 12 million Americans to speed through customs and passport control when returning to the US — remains in effect.

If you’re flying internationally and returning to the US in the coming days, you’ll be heading to the standard passport control lines. One workaround worth trying: the DHS Mobile Passport Control app, which is free and typically the next-best option after Global Entry. DHS hasn’t confirmed whether that’s also being suspended, so it’s worth attempting.

The travel industry didn’t hold back. Airlines for America CEO Chris Sununu said airlines were “deeply concerned” and that the announcement had been issued with “extremely short notice” — “especially troubling at this time of record air travel.” The US Travel Association called it “a crisis of its own making” and said it was “disgust[ed]” that travelers keep getting used as political pawns.

That industry pressure almost certainly played a role in the rapid reversal on PreCheck. The US Travel Association put it plainly after the U-turn: “We are glad that DHS has decided to keep PreCheck operational and avoid a crisis of its own making. We are urging the same for Global Entry.”

The whole episode was chaotic, and not in a reassuring way. A major policy affecting tens of millions of travelers was announced on a Saturday night, partially implemented Sunday morning, then quietly reversed — all within about 12 hours. Airports were left scrambling, airlines sent alerts that became outdated within hours, and travelers had no idea what to expect walking up to security.

It’s also worth noting something the US Travel Association flagged: PreCheck and Global Entry are funded by user fees, not federal appropriations. Members pay $76.75–$85 for PreCheck (five years) and $120 for Global Entry (five years). The argument that a funding lapse justifies suspending fee-funded programs is, at minimum, questionable.

My read: the administration tested the political waters with the PreCheck announcement and got burned fast. The travel industry, airlines, and the sheer scale of disruption it would have caused made it untenable. Global Entry, affecting a smaller group of international travelers, stayed suspended — probably because the backlash was more manageable.

The shutdown shows no sign of ending quickly. Congress returns from recess this week, but both sides remain entrenched. TSA workers face their first missed paycheck on March 3 — that’s likely when the real pressure to resolve this builds. We’ll keep watching and update you as things develop.

Have you been affected by the shutdown chaos at the airport — longer lines, suspended Global Entry, anything? Hit reply and tell me your experience. I read every response and this kind of real-world intel is genuinely useful for the whole community.