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DHS denies reports of suspended TSA PreCheck amid government shutdown | Fox News

Homeland Security
TSA says PreCheck not suspended as partial government shutdown affects DHS
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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem blames Democrats for third shutdown during 119th Congress, says it ‘endangers our national security’

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By Michael Sinkewicz , Anders HagstromFox News

Published February 22, 2026 3:47am EST | Updated February 22, 2026 11:58am EST

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DHS Secretary Noem: We don’t have the funding to help people through this

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem discusses the partial government shutdown as it hits day 6 on ‘Hannity.’

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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) provided an update Sunday morning, saying TSA PreCheck is operating normally Sunday following reports that it had been suspended amid the partial government shutdown.

The suspension of the TSA PreCheck and Global Entry programs was first reported by The Washington Post, which noted the changes would begin Sunday at 6 a.m. EST. DHS says it will now be evaluating PreCheck on a “case by case basis.”

“At this time, TSA PreCheck remains operational with no change for the traveling public. As staffing constraints arise, TSA will evaluate on a case by case basis and adjust operations accordingly,” TSA wrote in a statement on X.

“Courtesy escorts, such as those for Members of Congress, have been suspended to allow officers to focus on the mission of securing America’s skies,” it added.

DHS FUNDING BILL FAILS AFTER SCHUMER REJECTS TRUMP’S ICE REFORM OFFER

The Department of Homeland Security will suspend TSA PreCheck and Global Entry as a partial government shutdown continues.(Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

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.”

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 SLAMS DEMS BLOCKING DHS FUNDING BILL CITING TSA, FEMA, COAST GUARD: ‘I HOPE THEY COME TO THEIR SENSES’

Kristi Noem blamed Democrats for the government shutdown as DHS announced changes to airport programs on Feb. 21.(Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

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

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.

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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said DHS would pause certain expedited travel programs amid the shutdown on Feb. 22.(AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)

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.

Michael Sinkewicz is a writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent tomichael.sinkewicz@fox.com

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U.S ambassador’s comments on Israel and the Middle East were taken out of context, embassy says

February 22, 2026 / 12:13 PM EST / AP

An uproar continued Sunday after the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said Israel has a right to much of the Middle East, as more Arab and Muslim countries objected and the U.S. said his comments were taken out of context.

Huckabee spoke in an interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson that aired Friday. Carlson said that according to the Bible, the descendants of Abraham would receive land that today would include essentially the entire Middle East, including parts of modern-day Jordan, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. He quoted from Genesis Chapter 15 and asked Huckabee if Israel had a right to that land.

Huckabee responded: “It would be fine if they took it all.”

A spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy said Sunday that Huckabee’s comments were taken out of context and that there is no change to U.S. policies on Israel.

In the interview, Huckabee added: “They’re not asking to go back and take all of that, but they are asking to at least take the land that they now occupy, they now live in, they now own legitimately, and it is a safe haven for them.” He added that Israel isn’t trying to take over Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, or Iraq but is trying to protect its own people.

A joint statement Sunday by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Syria, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, the Palestinian territories and several Arab governing bodies called Huckabee’s remarks “dangerous and inflammatory” and ones that endanger the region’s stability.

“These statements directly contradict the vision put forward by U.S. President Donald J. Trump … based on containing escalation and creating a political horizon for a comprehensive settlement that ensures the Palestinian people have their own independent state,” the statement said.

During the six-day 1967 Mideast war, Israel captured the West Bank and east Jerusalem from Jordan, Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt and the Golan Heights from Syria. Israel withdrew from the Sinai Peninsula as part of a peace deal with Egypt following the 1973 Mideast war. It also unilaterally withdrew from Gaza in 2005. Since the ceasefire with Hamas began in October, after two years of fighting, Israel’s military controls most of Gaza’s eastern half.

Israel has attempted to deepen control of the occupied West Bank in recent months. It has greatly expanded construction in Jewish settlements, legalized outposts and made significant bureaucratic changes to its policies in the territory. Trump has said he will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank and has offered strong assurances that he’d block any move to do so.

Huckabee, an evangelical Christian and strong supporter of Israel and the West Bank settlement movement, has long opposed the idea of a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinian people.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/ambassador-to-israel-mike-huckabee-on-starvation-in-gaza-hostage-families-pleas-to-end-war/

U.S. trade representative says White House expects to

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AOC blames critics, Trump after Munich hiccup backlash

Critics seize on Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s fiancé snoring during her diatribe

By Eric Mack
Fox News

Published February 22, 2026 1:56pm EST

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., responds to critics after her appearance at the Munich Security Conference in an Instagram Live post that is going viral, in part, because her fiancé is snoring through it.

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An emotional Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., attempted to blame critics – and even President Donald Trump’s own off-the-cuff agility – for the backlash she received for her response to a question at the recent Munich Security Conference on American defense of Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion.

“If you think I don’t understand foreign policy, because of out of hours of discourse about international affairs, I pause to think about one of the most sensitive geopolitical issues that currently exist on earth, I’m afraid the issue is not my understanding, but perhaps the problem is you’ve gotten adjusted to a president that never thinks before he speaks,” a raspy-voiced Ocasio-Cortez said on a late-night Instagram Live video circulating on social media.

The leftist congresswoman’s Munich stumbling on Friday, Feb. 13, started the critical firestorm and has conservatives questioning her fitness for a potential 2028 Democrat presidential primary campaign.

“Um, you know, I think that this is such a, you know, I think that this is a um — this is, of course, a, um, very long-standing, um, policy of the United States,” she said with pause when asked about America defending Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion to enforce its One China Policy over the island-nation.

AOC HIT WITH SOCIAL MEDIA BACKLASH AFTER APPEARING TO STRUGGLE WITH QUESTION ABOUT US DEFENDING TAIWAN

President Donald Trump took a couple sharp jabs at Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., for her showing at the Munich Security Conference on Friday, Feb. 13.(Alex Kraus/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“And I think what we are hoping for is that we want to make sure that we never get to that point, and we want to make sure that we are moving in all of our economic, research and our global positions to avoid any such confrontation and for that question to even arise.”

Vice President JD Vance, a potential 2028 presidential campaign opponent in a prospective general election matchup, weighed in multiple times this week to Ocasio-Cortez’s remarks.

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“I think it’s a person who doesn’t know what she actually thinks, and I’ve seen this way too much in Washington with politicians: Where they’re given lines and, when you ask them to go outside the lines they were given, they completely fall apart,” Vance told Fox News’ “The Story With Martha MacCallum” in an in-studio interview earlier this week.

“That was embarrassing,” he continued. “If I had given that answer I would say, ‘You know what? Maybe you ought to go read a book about China and Taiwan before I go out on the world stage again.’ I hope that Congresswoman Cortez has the same humility. I’m skeptical.”

Eric Mack is a writer for Fox News Digital covering breaking news.

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President Trump tells Netflix to fire Susan Rice or ‘pay consequences’

By Amanda Macias | Fox News

Published February 22, 2026 1:16pm EST

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President Donald Trump called on Netflix to fire board member Susan Rice immediately or “pay the consequences.”

Trump’s comments followed remarks Rice made Thursday on the “Stay Tuned with Preet” podcast, hosted by former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara.

During the interview, Rice warned that corporations she said had “taken a knee” to Republican pressure should not expect forgiveness from Democrats if they return to power.

“This is not going to be an instance of forgive and forget. The damage that these people are doing is too severe to the American people and our national interest,” Rice said.

LARA TRUMP WARNS AGAINST DEMOCRATS’ “ACCOUNTABILITY AGENDA” FOR TRUMP ALLIES

Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice warned corporate America to expect an “accountability agenda” from Democrats.(Alex Wong/Getty Images)

It was not immediately clear what specific actions the Trump administration might pursue.

Netflix did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

BATTLEGROUND STATES SHOULDER BURDEN OF TRUMP’S TARIFFS AS MIDTERM MESSAGING RAMPS UP

U.S. domestic policy advisor Susan Rice speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House on Aug. 24, 2022.(Olivier Douliery/AFP/Getty Images)

Rice made the remarks while discussing what she described as corporate retreats from diversity and governance commitments amid pressure from Republican lawmakers.

“If these corporations think that the Democrats, when they come back into power, are going to, you know, play by the old rules, and, you know, say, ‘Oh, never mind. We’ll forgive you for all the people you fired, all the policies and principles you’ve violated, all, you know, the laws you’ve skirted.’ I think they’ve got another thing coming,” Rice added.

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President Donald Trump called on Netflix to fire sitting board member Susan Rice following her comments on the podcast.(Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)

Rice, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, predicted an “accountability agenda” awaited those entities, forecasting an electoral shift in the upcoming midterm elections.

She also pointed to waning public approval for Trump’s economic and immigration policies in making her case.

Amanda covers the intersection of business and politics for Fox News Digital.

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6389681049112

‘It is not up to me’: Secretary Bessent pushes back against tariff refunds | CNN Politics

Published 11:10 AM EST, Sun February 22, 2026 / CNN

Dana Bash presses Treasury Scott Bessent over what happens to the $134 billion in tariff revenue already collected after the Supreme Court struck down most of Trump’s emergency tariffs.

8:12 • Source: CNN

An idol Capitol could be the devil’s playground

By Chad Pergram | Fox News
Published February 22, 2026 12:50pm EST

“I can’t believe they just left!”

“Why didn’t they just stay until they fixed it?”

“Why didn’t they make them stay?”

I must have fielded forty questions last week from colleagues, friends and acquaintances. Even reporters and editorial staff from other news organizations. And that’s to say nothing of a few Congressional aides.

Everyone had the same question. They were in disbelief that lawmakers just abandoned the Capitol a week ago Thursday and left the Department of Homeland Security without funding on Saturday at 12:00:01 am et.

COAST GUARD CAUGHT AS ‘COLLATERAL DAMAGE’ IN DEMOCRATS’ DHS SHUTDOWN AS CHINA, RUSSIA PRESS US WATERS

Senate Democrats blocked a short-term funding bill, stalling efforts to keep DHS and its agencies operating.(Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images)

The Senate tried twice to avert the partial government shutdown on Thursday. The Senate failed to break a filibuster on a placeholder, undetermined funding bill. And then Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., objected to a request by Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., to approve a stopgap, two-week funding bill. Passage of the bill would require agreement of all 100 senators. But all it took was one objection. And Murphy, speaking for many Democrats on both sides of the Capitol, interceded to sidetrack Britt’s effort.

“I’m over it!” shouted an exasperated Britt on the Senate floor, as Congress pitched at least part of the federal government into its third shutdown since October 1.

Democrats are refusing to fund the Department of Homeland Security until there’s a specific agreement to reform U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). And – few Democrats will say this out loud – but their base insists on Democrats shuttering DHS over ICE tactics after the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.

This is somewhat ironic. Republicans funded ICE through 2029 via last year’s One, Big, Beautiful Bill. So thanks to Democrats, TSA, the Coast Guard and FEMA – all under the DHS aegis – are without money right now. That means tens of thousands of employees are technically working without paychecks as they scan passengers at airports, patrol the seas and respond to natural disasters.

This brings us back to the basic question: Why didn’t they just stay until they figured it out?

As a reporter, I have covered dozens of shutdowns, partial shutdowns, near shutdowns, flirtations with shutdowns. That’s to say nothing of various permutations of interim spending bills – long and short – known as Continuing Resolutions or CRs. Those bills keep the funding flowing at the old spending level – until lawmakers all agree on something new. Sometimes one CR begets another CR. And even another one after that until everything’s resolved. The exercise can go on for months.

HOW ICE WENT FROM POST-9/11 COUNTERTERROR AGENCY TO CENTER OF THE IMMIGRATION FIGHT

Sen. Katie Britt vented frustration on the Senate floor after her stopgap bill was blocked.(Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

But as it pertains to DHS, lawmakers weren’t going to solve the issues surrounding ICE right away. So both the House and Senate got out of Dodge last Thursday as the deadline loomed. Lawmakers were everywhere from the Middle East to Munich when the bell tolled midnight Saturday and DHS lumbered into a slow-speed funding crash.

Failure to fund the Department of Homeland Security may seem unreasonable from a policy standpoint – regardless of what you think of ICE. But it’s not unreasonable if you understand the politics and Congressional procedure to fund ICE.

Let’s say they were on the precipice of an agreement to fund DHS. That may involve some last-minute trading of paper between Senate and House leaders. Maybe a call or two from the President to reluctant Republicans. If lawmakers believed a deal was within range, it’s doubtful that leaders would have cut Members loose. They would have stayed if there was a viable path to nail something down last Friday, have the Senate expedite the process and vote on either Saturday or Sunday (albeit after the deadline) and then have the House vote on Monday. That’s all under the premise of a deal being close.

They were nowhere near that stage when lawmakers called it last Thursday. Democrats didn’t send over their offer for days after a brief shutdown of 78 percent of the government more than two weeks ago. Democrats then criticized Republicans and the White House for slowly volleying a counteroffer. Democrats then rejected the GOP plan – only sending back another plan late Monday.

Getting a deal which can pass both the House and Senate – and overcome a Senate filibuster – takes time. And there simply wasn’t a deal to be had yet.

This is where things get really interesting. With no agreement in sight, you simply don’t anchor lawmakers in Washington with nothing to do. There’s nothing to vote on. There are no committee meetings scheduled. All tethering lawmakers to DC does is stir up trouble.

There’s a line in the song “Trouble” in The Music Man by Meredith Willson: “The idle brain is the devil’s playground.” Who knows what kinds of mischief you would have, just making very cranky lawmakers hang around Washington for days – without anything to vote on. Keeping everyone here does not contribute to securing a deal. Yes, all 532 House and Senate Members (there are two House vacancies) must eventually be dialed-in to vote on a bill to fund DHS. But we aren’t there yet. A handful of Members in the House, Senate and people at the White House will be the ones to negotiate an agreement. Rank-and-file Members marooned in Washington with nothing to do but post outrageous things on social media and appear on cable TV is counterproductive.

Now, let’s look at the other scenario of being close to an agreement. House and Senate leaders may believe they are still a little short of votes. But if something is viable, leaders know they can nail down the votes with some arm-twisting, legislative and ego massaging and a few forceful phone calls. Yes, that process may require elbow grease. But in that instance, keeping everyone in Washington for a few extra days and blowing up a long-awaited Congressional recess actually helps the process.

DHS SHUTDOWN LEAVES LOCAL EMERGENCY RESPONDERS ON THEIR OWN AMID EXTREME WEATHER, EXPERT WARNS

TSA officers, Coast Guard members and FEMA staff are working without pay as the DHS funding lapse drags on.(Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images)

Why?

Think of the Stockholm Syndrome. You demand that everyone stay in Washington for an extra day or two and the “hostages” will start to come around to the viewpoints of their captors. Yes, everyone is frustrated and mad. But they feel the bill is something they can support and finally end this triumvirate of government shutdowns. In this case, the fustigation builds – but just a little. Everyone is happy to vote yes and rush off of Capitol Hill.

If they were close to nailing down an agreement on DHS funding, then Congressional leaders would have deployed a version of the Stockholm Syndrome to wrap up everything.

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But with no deal, leaders were more afraid of the mayhem they may trigger by keeping everyone in Washington. The devil would romp freely through the playground of idle brains.

So how will you know when there’s a deal?

When everyone’s present and accounted for.

Chad Pergram currently serves as Chief Congressional Correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based out of Washington, D.C.

Dana Bash presses Secretary Bessent on Congress’ role in enacting tariffs | CNN Politics

Published 11:08 AM EST, Sun February 22, 2026 / CNN

Treasury Secretary Bessent responds to Supreme Court Justice Gorsuch’s opinion saying tariff policy needs to go through Congress.

Iranian foreign minister says “we have every right to enjoy a peaceful nuclear energy, including enrichment”

February 22, 2026 / 2:20 PM EST / CBS News

Washington — Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that Iran has “every right to enjoy a peaceful nuclear energy, including enrichment” as the U.S. pushes for a deal on its nuclear program.

Negotiators for the U.S. and Iran met last week in Geneva, where both sides said progress was made. President Trump said on Friday, amid a massive military buildup in the region, that he’s considering a limited military strike on Iran, after warning that Tehran had a matter of days to reach a deal on its nuclear program, or “bad things” would happen.

Araghchi announced Sunday on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” the two sides will come together again Thursday in Geneva.

He said that the only way to find a resolution for Iran’s nuclear program is through diplomacy, while stressing that a solution is within reach.

“So there is no need for any military buildup, and military buildup cannot help it and cannot pressurize us,” he said.

The Iranian foreign minister, who helped negotiate the 2015 nuclear deal under the Obama administration, said the Iranians are still working on a draft proposal for Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East. Araghchi said that when the two sides meet again Thursday, “we can work on those elements and prepare a good text and come to a fast deal.”

U.S. officials have expressed widespread skepticism about Iran’s nuclear program, including the bulk of Republicans in Congress who have called on the president to demand zero enrichment and a full dismantlement of the program. But Araghchi argued that “enrichment is our right.”

Araghchi said enrichment is a “sensitive part” of the negotiations, noting that the U.S. negotiators are aware of Iran’s position and “we have already exchanged our concerns.”

“I think a solution is achievable,” Araghchi added.

Asked by Brennan whether demanding a right to enrich on Iranian soil is worth the risk amid the American military buildup, Araghchi said “as a sovereign country, we have every right to decide for ourselves, by ourselves.”

“We have developed this technology by ourselves, by our scientists, and it’s very dear to us,” Araghchi said. “So that is now a matter of dignity and pride for Iranians, and we are not going to give it up. There is no legal reason to do that while everything is peaceful, while everything is safeguarded by the agency.”

Araghchi said “if the U.S. attacks us, then we have every right to defend ourselves.”

“Our missiles cannot hit the American soil,” Araghchi said. “So obviously we have to do something else. We have to hit, you know, the Americans’ base in the region.”

Still, Araghchi questioned why conflict would be necessary “when there is every possibility for a peaceful solution.”