Closed gate at a US airport [Reuters=Yonhap News]

As a consequence of the government shutdown affecting some functions of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), expedited entry programs at U.S. airports will be temporarily suspended.

According to The Washington Post on the 21st (local time), the DHS announced that it will temporarily suspend operations of the TSA PreCheck, a streamlined security screening program, and Global Entry, a program that expedites customs and immigration, starting at 6:00 AM Eastern Time on the 22nd.

This comes eight days after the shutdown began on the 14th, when Congress failed to pass the DHS budget bill by the deadline, prompting an emergency reallocation of personnel.

Airport police escorts and other expedited support services for members of Congress will also be suspended starting on the 22nd.

In a statement, Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen said, "We have made difficult but necessary decisions regarding personnel and resource allocation," adding, "We aim to prioritize assistance for general travelers at airports and ports of entry."

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), under the DHS, has also effectively entered an emergency status. FEMA has decided to suspend general administrative tasks not directly related to disaster response to focus on responding to impending disasters such as winter storms.

Since the shutdown, FEMA has already faced significant limitations in disaster relief travel and personnel deployment, raising concerns that on-site response capabilities could be hampered.

Ninety-one percent of DHS employees will be working without pay. The first payday after the shutdown is March 3rd. There is a possibility of further work disruptions if employees, unable to receive their pay on that day, begin taking absences or sick leave.

Previously, U.S. congressional members failed to reach an agreement on the budget for the DHS, the responsible department, by the deadline due to disagreements surrounding the Trump administration's immigration enforcement policies. Consequently, the DHS entered a shutdown at 00:01 Eastern Time on the 14th.

Since then, Democrats have engaged in negotiations with Republicans and the White House but have not reached an agreement. The gap in their positions has not been narrowed during the one-week recess that followed.

However, Democratic leadership continued negotiations with White House officials during the recess, and it is known that the Democratic side sent a revised proposal to the White House on the 16th.