The government shutdown that began in early October 2025 has rapidly evolved into a flashpoint for partisan conflict, with both messaging and policy decisions drawing fire from across the political spectrum. As the shutdown stretched into its second week, the White House claimed that a video message from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was being broadcast at every public airport in America, blaming Democrats for the ongoing budget impasse. However, a wave of refusals from major airports quickly undercut that assertion, while behind the scenes, the Trump administration began executing sweeping layoffs of federal employees—moves that critics say target programs associated with Democrats, including those serving the nation’s most vulnerable children.
According to the White House, the video featuring Secretary Noem was intended to inform travelers of the shutdown’s impact on Transportation Security Administration (TSA) operations. In the video, Noem asserts, "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. However, 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. Our hope is that Democrats will soon recognize the importance of opening the government." The administration’s goal was clear: to place the blame for the shutdown squarely on the shoulders of congressional Democrats.
But as reported by local media outlets and confirmed by airport officials, that message was not reaching travelers in many parts of the country. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, for instance, declined to play the video, with a spokesperson explaining to local press, "The Port of Seattle will not play the video on its screens at SEA Airport, due to the political nature of the content." Spokane International Airport, also in Washington, cited its First Amendment Policy, which prohibits "the display of political advertising content on airport-owned monitors in public spaces."
Further south, Portland International Airport in Oregon refused to air the video, arguing that it could violate the Hatch Act—a federal law barring government employees from engaging in certain partisan political activities. A spokesperson for PDX clarified, "We believe the Hatch Act clearly prohibits using public assets for political purposes and messaging," and also referenced state law that forbids public employees from promoting or opposing "any political committee, party, or affiliation."
New York airports were similarly resistant. The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, which oversees both Buffalo Niagara International Airport and Niagara Falls International Airport, declined to broadcast the message, pointing to a "long-standing policy" against "partisan messaging." Westchester County Airport went further, with the county executive calling the video "inappropriate, unacceptable, and inconsistent with the values we expect from our nation’s top public officials," adding that it "politicizes the impacts of a federal government shutdown on TSA Operations" and has an "unnecessarily alarmist" tone.
While the administration’s attempt to shape public perception was stymied in airports, a much more consequential effort was quietly underway within the federal bureaucracy. On Friday, October 10, White House budget director and Project 2025 architect Russell Vought announced on X (formerly Twitter), "The RIFs have begun," referring to reductions-in-force—a euphemism for mass layoffs of federal workers. According to reporting from The Washington Post, the Trump administration had moved to begin laying off federal employees while the government was shuttered, following through on President Trump’s earlier threats to use the shutdown as an opportunity to pare down the federal workforce.
Sources told Politico that the administration had, in fact, been preparing for this scenario before the shutdown even began. In a memo circulated two weeks prior, the Office of Management and Budget instructed agency officials to develop plans for reductions-in-force targeting employees whose programs were not legally required to continue or who worked in areas that clashed with the administration’s policy priorities. The layoffs, according to White House officials who spoke to The Washington Post on condition of anonymity, were expected to be "substantial" and would affect departments including Commerce, Treasury, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Homeland Security, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
The president himself made no secret of the partisan nature of the cuts. During a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, October 9, Trump reportedly said, "We’re only cutting Democrat programs, I hate to tell you, but we are cutting Democrat programs. We will be cutting some very popular Democrat programs that aren’t popular with Republicans, frankly." This admission, as reported by Politico, underscored that the layoffs were not merely about reducing waste or streamlining government, but about targeting initiatives associated with the opposing party.
One of the hardest-hit agencies was the Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS). As reported by NPR and corroborated by Politico, nearly all staff in the office were laid off on Friday, October 10, with only a handful of top officials and support staff remaining. OSERS is responsible for overseeing some $15 billion in special education funding and ensuring that states comply with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which protects the rights of 7.5 million children with disabilities. As one department employee told NPR, "This is decimating the office responsible for safeguarding the rights of infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities."
The timing and scope of the layoffs have sparked outrage among advocacy groups and lawmakers alike. Critics argue that the administration is using the shutdown as cover to enact sweeping changes that would have been politically unpalatable under normal circumstances. The fact that the shutdown occurred while Republicans controlled both chambers of Congress, the White House, and most of the Supreme Court has only intensified accusations of partisan gamesmanship. Senate Majority Leader John Thune commented, "I think they held off as long as they could," suggesting that the administration had been waiting for the right moment to pursue these cuts.
Meanwhile, the broader public has been caught in the crossfire. TSA employees, as highlighted in Noem’s video, continue to work without pay, and the uncertainty surrounding federal services has left millions of Americans in limbo. The administration’s efforts to shape the narrative—whether through airport videos or website messaging—have encountered stiff resistance from local officials determined to keep political propaganda out of public spaces.
As the shutdown drags on, the consequences are becoming increasingly tangible. From airports to federal agencies, the effects of partisan brinkmanship are rippling across the country, raising difficult questions about the balance between political messaging, public service, and the responsibilities of government in times of crisis.
For now, Americans can only watch as the standoff continues, with the fate of critical programs—and the livelihoods of thousands of public servants—hanging in the balance.
