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bennie thompson
Trump DHS 'Nitwits' Reverse TSA PreCheck Suspension After Backlash
One Democrat had called the halt during the department's partial shutdown a case of "Trump and Kristi Noem purposely punishing the American people and using them as pawns for their sadistic political games."
Feb 22, 2026
After a flurry of overnight outrage, President Donald Trump's administration reversed plans to suspend the Transportation Security Administration's PreCheck program during a partial shutdown of the US Department of Homeland Security.
"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," the agency said Sunday morning. "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."
The Washington Post reported that a DHS official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the reversal was "based off of conversations the secretary had with the White House and TSA."
DHS partially shut down last week amid a funding fight in Congress, with Democrats demanding reforms in response to agents with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) openly violating the rights of immigrants and US citizens alike, and even killing Renee Good and Alex Pretti last month in Minnesota.
The department said late Saturday that it would close PreCheck lanes, which allow travelers at US airports to move through security more quickly; halt the CBP Global Entry service, which allows expedited clearance for arriving in the United States; and pause all non-disaster-related Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) response efforts.
"Shutdowns have 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," said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, blaming the changes on Democrats in Congress. "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."
Critics in journalism, politics, the travel industry, and beyond quickly highlighted how PreCheck and Global Entry reduce the strain on not only air travelers but also federal workers across multiple DHS agencies.
"These nitwits are at it again," said House Committee on Homeland Security Ranking Member Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.). "This is Trump and Kristi Noem purposely punishing the American people and using them as pawns for their sadistic political games. 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."
"Trump and Kristi are making your lives harder—and your travel less safe—all on purpose because they know you don't trust them," he continued. "They pulled these games with FEMA disaster response last week, now this madness. They would rather force Americans to miss their travel waiting in long lines at the airport than stop Trump's secret police from shooting our neighbors. The American people—who want ICE reined in—will not fall for this bullshit. The administration must reverse this decision immediately."
While the Trump administration reversed course on PreCheck, the Global Entry suspension and FEMA restrictions remain in effect as a major snowstorm hit the East Coast.
"Everyone knows Donald Trump and DHS use bullying tactics—this is another one of them," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in a Sunday statement about Global Entry. "The Trump administration is choosing to inflict pain on the public instead of adopting commonsense ICE reforms."
"In the 43-day historic Trump government shutdown DHS never changed the Global Entry program's status," Schumer said, referring to the funding battle that ended in November when a short list of Democratic senators gave in. "Democrats are fighting against this exact kind of abuse."
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'Noem's Impeachment Is the Bare Minimum': Fury at DHS Chief Grows After Pretti Killing
“The abuses of power we’re seeing from ICE are the latest proof that she has lost control over her own department and staff,” said one Democratic senator.
Jan 26, 2026
Demands for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's impeachment are growing, and not just from progressive Democrats in deep-blue districts.
Rep. Lauren Gillen (D-NY), one of just seven House Democrats who voted last week for a bill that further would further increase funding for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), called for Noem's impeachment in a Sunday social media post, one day after federal immigration agents killed Minneapolis resident Alex Pretti.
"Another US citizen has been killed at the hands of ICE and there must be accountability, which is why Secretary Noem must be impeached immediately," Gillen wrote. "Under her leadership, ICE has targeted US citizens and children and killed Americans. She is not focused on safety or border security; she’s focused on chaos and self-promotion, undermining local law enforcement and stoking violence as a result. The American people deserve better."
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, called for impeaching Noem on Saturday and then reiterated his call on Monday with a social media post that read, "It's time for impeachment!"
Sen. Jackie Rosen (D-Nev.) on Sunday also called for impeaching Noem, whom she described in a statement to the Associated Press as an "abject failure leading the Department of Homeland Security for the last year."
"The abuses of power we’re seeing from ICE are the latest proof that she has lost control over her own department and staff," Rosen added.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who has been demanding Noem's impeachment since an ICE agent gunned down Minneapolis resident Renee Good earlier this month, described removing the homeland security secretary from her post as only the first step in bringing an end to the federal government's attacks on immigrant communities across the country.
"Voting NO on the DHS funding bill is the bare minimum," she wrote in a Sunday social media post. "Backing Kristi Noem’s impeachment is the bare minimum. Holding law-breaking ICE agents legally accountable is the bare minimum. ICE is beyond reform. Abolish it."
Even some Republicans have started protesting the federal government's operations in Minnesota.
Chris Madel, a Republican candidate for governor in Minnesota, announced on Monday that he was suspending his campaign in the wake of Pretti's shooting.
In a video posted on social media, Madel accused the Trump administration of enacting "retribution on the citizens of our state" with an operation that has "expanded far beyond its stated focus on true public safety threats."
" United States citizens, particularly those of color, live in fear," Madel added. "United States citizens are carrying papers to prove their citizenship. That’s wrong."
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‘Total Amateur Hour’: FBI Official Says Antifa Is #1 Threat in US—But Can’t Say Where, Who, or What It Is
"Just a complete admission here that the entire ‘antifa’ threat narrative is totally manufactured by this administration," said one critic.
Dec 11, 2025
A top FBI official struggled on Thursday to answer basic questions about antifa, a loosely organized collective of anti-fascist activists that he labeled the top terrorist threat facing the US.
Michael Glasheen, operations director of the FBI's National Security Branch, testified before the US House Committee on Homeland Security that antifa was "the most immediate violent threat" facing Americans today when it comes to domestic terrorism.
But when Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee, asked Glasheen for specifics about this purportedly dire threat, he mostly came up empty.
"So where is antifa headquarters?" Thompson asked him.
Glasheen paused for several seconds and then said, "What we're doing right now with the organization..." before Thompson interrupted him.
"Where in the United States does antifa exist?" asked Thompson.
"We are building out the infrastructure right now," Glasheen replied.
"So what does that mean?" asked a bewildered Thompson. "I'm just, we're trying to get information. You said antifa is a terrorist organization. Tell us, as a committee, how did you come to that? Whether they exist, how many members do they have in the United States as of right now?"
"Well, that's very fluid," Glasheen said. "It's ongoing for us to understand that... no different from al-Qaeda and ISIS."
Thompson again interrupted and tried to make Glasheen answer his original question.
"If you said antifa is the No. 1 domestic terrorist organization operating in the United States," he said, "I just need to know where they are, how many people. I don't want a name, I don't want anything like that. Just, how many people have you identified, with the FBI, that antifa is made of?"
"Well, the investigations are active..." Glasheen said.
Thompson then became incredulous.
"Sir, you wouldn't come to this committee and say something you can't prove," he said. "I know you wouldn't do that. But you did."
GLASHEEN: Antifa is our primary concern right now. That's the most immediate violent threat we're facing
BENNIE THOMPSON: Where is antifa headquartered?
GLASHEEN: ... ... ... we are building out the infrastructure right now
THOMPSON: What does that mean? pic.twitter.com/FBzRJ5dCBj
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 11, 2025
Many observers were stunned that Glasheen appeared to know so little about what he proclaimed to be the top domestic terrorist threat facing the US.
"Total amateur hour in US law enforcement," remarked Democracy Docket news editor Matthew Kupfer, "where the No. 1 terror threat is an organization that does not formally exist and a career FBI official is dancing around before a congressional committee trying to make the Trump strategy sound legit."
Zeteo editor-in-chief Mehdi Hasan argued that Glasheen's testimony was proof that the administration was simply concocting domestic terrorism threats with zero basis in reality.
"Wow," Hasan marveled. "Just a complete admission here that the entire ‘antifa’ threat narrative is totally manufactured by this administration."
Fred Wellman, a Democratic congressional candidate in Missouri, wondered how many actual dangerous criminals are running free while the FBI focuses on taking down an organization that it apparently knows nothing about.
"This would be comical if there wasn’t real world impact from this idiocy," Wellman wrote. "We have real crimes and real threats and they are chasing a fake 'organization' for politics."
Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee also piled on Glasheen, citing his testimony as evidence that the Trump administration is completely unserious about law enforcement.
"If your 'top threat' has no headquarters, no organization, and no definition then it’s not a top threat," they posted on social media. "The Trump administration is ignoring real threats, and the American people see right through it."
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