Travelers hustling through America’s airports this October might have expected the usual barrage of security reminders, boarding calls, and maybe a warning about liquids in carry-ons. But what they didn’t expect was a political message from the highest levels of government—one that’s sparked controversy, legal questions, and outright refusals from airport authorities across the country.
Earlier this month, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem recorded a video message intended for display on television screens in more than 5,000 commercial airports nationwide. In the video, Noem assures travelers that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is doing its best to keep delays at bay, even as its officers work without pay due to the ongoing federal government shutdown. But then, the message takes a partisan turn: "Democrats in Congress refuse to fund the federal government, and because of this, many of our operations are impacted and most of our TSA employees are working without pay. We will continue to do all that we can to avoid delays that will impact your travel. And our hope is that Democrats will soon recognize the importance of opening the government," Noem says, as reported by Fox News and confirmed by multiple outlets including The Washington Post and Straight Arrow News.
The video was part of a broader campaign by the Trump administration to pin the blame for the shutdown—and its ripple effects on air travel—squarely on congressional Democrats. This messaging push extended beyond airports: earlier in the shutdown, federal agency websites were updated to blame Democrats for the closure, and out-of-office email replies from government employees were reportedly altered to deliver the same message, according to Straight Arrow News.
But not everyone was willing to play along. According to The Washington Post, officials overseeing airports in Buffalo, Charlotte, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Seattle, and Portland, Oregon, refused to air the video. Their reasoning? Many cited internal policies against political messaging and concerns that the video could violate state or federal laws—chief among them the Hatch Act. Enacted in 1939, the Hatch Act bars federal employees from engaging in partisan political activities while on the job and is designed to ensure federal programs remain nonpartisan.
"We believe the Hatch Act clearly prohibits use of public assets for political purposes and messaging," Molly Prescott, a spokesperson for the Port of Portland, told Oregon Live and The Washington Post. She added that Oregon law also bans public employees from promoting or opposing political parties during working hours. "This is the first time to our knowledge that the Port has declined to play a video," Prescott noted, underscoring just how unusual the request was.
Westchester County, just north of New York City, also declined to show Noem’s message. County Executive Ken Jenkins called the video "inappropriate, unacceptable, and inconsistent with what people expect from the nation’s leaders." In a statement dated October 10, 2025, Jenkins criticized the video for politicizing the shutdown’s impact on TSA operations and undermining public trust: "At a time when we should be focused on ensuring stability, collaboration and preparedness, this type of messaging only distracts from the real issues, and undermines public trust. As County Executive, I believe our residents deserve clear, honest and nonpartisan communication—especially when it comes to national security, government shutdown impacts, and public safety."
Other airports followed suit. The Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, and the Niagara Falls Transportation Authority—which operates both Buffalo Niagara and Niagara Falls International airports—declined to broadcast the message. The NFTA cited a policy against partisan messaging, telling Buffalo’s NBC affiliate WGRZ-TV, "Therefore, we are not airing this video on airport-controlled screens."
The controversy over Noem’s video is just the latest flashpoint in a shutdown that’s left essential federal workers—including TSA officers and air traffic controllers—working without pay. As Forbes reported, hundreds of TSA officers have called out sick since the shutdown began, leading to longer security lines and flight delays. TSA acting Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill sent a memo to staff, also blaming Democrats for the shutdown and criticizing those calling out sick as "disappointing" and not reflective of TSA’s values. Some employees feared the memo implied possible retaliation for absences and disagreed with its politicized tone, Forbes noted. Chad Kendall, a Federal Aviation Administration chief instructor at the Metropolitan State University of Denver, told Forbes, "For those that are in charge of the security and safety of our airports, that language is uncalled for."
The flight-tracking website FlightAware reported that staffing shortages at major U.S. airports caused delays to nearly 8,000 flights within, into, or out of the U.S. on Sunday, October 12, 2025, with another 271 flights canceled altogether. Airlines for America, a trade group representing major carriers, confirmed that "ATC staffing shortages strain the system and cause flights to be spaced out, slowing down everything. In some cases, flights may be delayed or even cancelled."
Meanwhile, the political blame game rages on. The Senate has failed seven times to pass a spending bill, with both parties pushing their own versions and neither able to muster the 60 votes needed to send a bill to President Donald Trump’s desk, according to Straight Arrow News. Despite Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress and the executive branch, the administration’s messaging campaign has focused on blaming Democrats—a strategy that polls suggest isn’t convincing most voters, as reported by The Washington Post.
This isn’t the first time Secretary Noem has found herself at the center of a controversy over taxpayer-funded messaging. Earlier this year, the Department of Homeland Security launched a $200 million campaign featuring Noem thanking the Trump administration for its anti-immigration crackdown—a campaign that, according to MSNBC and The New York Times, many critics described as more publicity stunt than public service. The current airport video, with its overtly partisan tone, appears to be a sequel of sorts, as The Hill reported.
For now, it remains unclear exactly how much was spent on the latest video campaign or how many airports ultimately agreed to show Noem’s message. What is clear is that the effort has met significant resistance from airport authorities, state officials, and federal employees alike—many of whom argue that the nation’s airports should be places of public service, not partisan battlegrounds.
As the shutdown continues and travelers brace for more delays, the battle over blame—and the proper boundaries of political messaging in public spaces—shows no signs of letting up. For those caught in long security lines or waiting at delayed gates, the question remains: will the next announcement over the PA system be about boarding, or about politics?
In the midst of political finger-pointing and disrupted travel plans, America’s airports have become unlikely stages for a national debate about partisanship, public trust, and the role of government communication. Only time will tell how far this message will travel.
