WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security announced Saturday it will temporarily halt TSA PreCheck and Global Entry operations beginning Sunday. The decision aims to conserve limited staff amid a partial government shutdown that began Feb. 14.

DHS directed the Transportation Security Administration to close the expedited screening lanes for PreCheck members and stop Global Entry processing at airports and borders. TSA PreCheck lets over 20 million enrolled travelers skip removing shoes, belts and laptops at security checkpoints. Global Entry, run by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, serves more than 14 million members with faster re-entry from abroad.

“TSA PreCheck members will use general screening lanes so our workforce can focus on the majority of travelers,” DHS stated in a release. Without the programs, those lines could lengthen considerably at busy airports.

The shutdown stemmed from Senate Democrats blocking DHS funding over its aggressive immigration enforcement. Lawmakers approved money for most other federal agencies through September, leaving DHS in limbo. Most headquarters staff, policy offices and oversight teams at DHS—responsible for TSA, CBP, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Coast Guard and Immigration and Customs Enforcement—have been furloughed as non-essential.

TSA screeners at airports continue working without pay, as do other front-line personnel. Federal workers typically get back pay once funding resumes. DHS also said FEMA will limit responses to active disasters only. Police escorts for members of Congress at airports are paused.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended the cuts. “The American people depend on this department every day, and we are making tough but necessary workforce and resource decisions to mitigate the damage inflicted by these politicians,” she said.

Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee fired back on social media. “TSA PreCheck and Global Entry reduce lines and ease the burden on DHS staff,” they wrote, accusing the agency of punishing travelers for the funding fight.

Airlines for America, a trade group for major U.S. carriers, expressed alarm. President and CEO Chris Sununu said his members are “deeply concerned that the traveling public will be, once again, used as a political football amid another government shutdown.”

Travelers face extra headaches on the East Coast. A blizzard barreled toward New York and the Northeast on Sunday, already snarling flights. TSA noted PreCheck remained active Saturday but warned of operational changes due to staffing shortages.

Democrats have tied DHS funding to broader reforms, especially after federal immigration agents killed two U.S. citizens in Minnesota last month. The standoff shows no signs of breaking soon, with both sides dug in.