Several airports across the United States have made the decision to not display a video featuring Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The video, which blames Democrats for the government shutdown and any resulting travel disruptions, has been deemed overly partisan by representatives for these airports.
In the approximately 30-second video, Noem states, “It is TSA’s top priority to make sure that you have the most pleasant and efficient airport experience as possible while we keep you safe. ” She goes on to explain that due to the refusal of Democrats in Congress to fund the federal government, many operations have been impacted and TSA employees are currently working without pay.
Among the list of airports refusing to show the video are major airports in the New York metropolitan area, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Portland, Oregon. This also includes several regional airports.
The reasons for refusing to display the video vary. Some airports have cited internal or municipal policies prohibiting politically partisan messaging. Others have pointed to state and federal law, specifically the Hatch Act of 1939. This law was created to maintain a nonpartisan federal workforce and limit political activities of federal employees. Kara Hansen, spokesperson for the Port of Portland in Oregon, stated that the video was in violation of this act. The Transportation Security Administration had requested for the video to be shown at the airport on Thursday.
Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins, a Democrat, also spoke out against the video, calling it “inappropriate, unacceptable, and inconsistent with the values we expect from our nation’s top public officials. ” He went on to say that the video was unnecessarily alarmist and politicized the effects of the government shutdown on TSA operations. The TSA had requested for a previous video about the new Real ID requirement to be replaced with Noem’s shutdown announcement at Westchester County Airport.
Keith Jeffries, a former TSA federal security director at Los Angeles International Airport, explained that control of TV monitors at airports can vary. In some cases, the TSA controls them, while in others, the airport does. The control can even differ by terminal.
Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of Homeland Security, reiterated Noem’s message in a statement, calling it “unfortunate that our workforce has been put in this position due to political gamesmanship. ” She expressed hope that Democrats would soon recognize the importance of opening the government.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, the majority of the 61,000 TSA workers are currently working without pay during the government shutdown. If the shutdown continues, these employees will not receive a paycheck on October 24th, which is the first payday affected by the shutdown.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times and was written by an anonymous author in 2025.