DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has released a new video blaming Democrats for the shutdown, and it’s now playing at airports across the United States.
Noem Video Blaming Democrats Plays In U.S. Airports Amid Shutdown
In the video, Noem states that “most of our TSA employees are working without pay” and frames the shutdown as a result of Democratic intransigence rather than a failure of legislative cooperation. According to press reports, the video will run on screens in public areas at U.S. airports, giving it a direct audience among travelers. I did not see it in Los Angeles, Newark, or New York JFK this week when I traveled.
For context, here’s the video:
Here’s the transcript of the 36-second video:
“Hi, I’m Christine Nome, the United States Secretary of Homeland Security. 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.
“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.”
What Noem Is Trying To Achieve
As a political observer, part of me admires this propaganda. Airports are a captive environment: travelers will hear this message over and over in the days ahead, as both sides seem unwilling to forge a compromise to end the shutdown. But the target is not just the public but the federal workforce (TSA agents, air traffic controllers) and the media optics of blame. By placing blame on Democrats, the video seeks to shift public anger and create pressure for a resolution that favors the current administration’s narrative…it’s smart politics.
Running this message in airports also signals to federal employees, including mid-level screener and other staff who see it daily, that the administration is making them visible symbols of the shutdown. It raises moral weight: if the public perceives TSA agents are suffering due to “other people’s politics,” the pressure on Congress may intensify.
Ultimately, though, it won’t be sympathy that ends this shutdown but long airport lines…it will be TSA agents calling out sick and security screening or immigration and customs lines becoming unberably long. That is what ended the last shutdown and my guess is that will ultimately end this one.
TSA employees will eventually get back pay, but if this shutdown drags on, more will call in sick as they understandably seek alternative employment to make ends meet. Bills don’t stop when the government shuts down.
Critiques & Counterarguments
Of course, Noem’s statements simplify a complex standoff. The shutdown involves competing claims of budget priorities, healthcare, federal debt ceilings, and procedural disagreements, not just one party refusing to cooperate. The TSA workforce, although essential, is broadly considered non-discretionary, and their pay is legally guaranteed under “essential employee” statute. The video’s framing is certainly an oversimplification.
All bets are off these days, but another risk is that the video erodes the neutrality expected in public service messaging. Airports are typically nonpartisan zones; playing politically loaded content in such spaces may raise legal or ethical questions about using public infrastructure for political communication. Also, the administration will have to manage backlash; viewers may resent being subjected to political messaging while awaiting flights, not that they have any realistic way to pushback.
CONCLUSION
Noem’s airport video is a tactical campaign to frame the narrative during a stalemate. Whether it persuades or provokes depends on how viewers interpret it: is it a legitimate grievance or opportunistic politics? Airports make for a powerful stage, but with that stage comes scrutiny over tone, fairness, and whether public infrastructure should become a platform for blame. All I can say is that elections have consequences. Maybe Tom Homan can pay TSA agents in a Cava bag…
This administration is completely unhinged. Political messages do not belong in such videos.
This is blatantly illegal. The hatch act is a duly passed law forbidding political messages by officials via government property or channels. How is this law and order when you treat laws as optional?
“Laws for thee, but not for me.”
Not just TSA. I’m a vet so I get the usual emails from the VA about services and so forth. Last email, the VA director threw in a piece right up front about how delays in care etc., may occur, solely because of the Democrats’ demands. Sad to see – everyone in the Trump circus is trying to play along, discretion or ethics be damned.
“ Airports are typically nonpartisan zones”
Nope, that ended when CNN started paying to run their version of the “news” in airports.
But that aside what a GREAT decision by you to run this story. The clicks, hits and comments are going to roll in. You may be a bad Republican in 2025 but you are definitely a smart businessman!
It doesn’t matter whose fault it is. CNN is legal to be played. A government official breaks an actual law. So breaking laws you don’t like is fine bc they played CNN? What a joke. Sounds like a cult.
So who or what is next? Is Kristi going to shoot the drug-sniffing dogs?
Maybe more plastic surgery first?
Love the new Matt!
Blasting people for their personal choices on elective surgery.
Calling gays and others out for being “selfish” for not having kids.
Telling posters who disagree with him to flush themselves.
Letting his kids at home to go on inessential vanity trips around the world.
Who says “Republicans” need to be more tolerant of others? Matt is taking that narrative and telling those saying it to GO F##K YOURSELF.
Bravo, bravo!
You forgot to add traveling to East Asia, obviously to engage in pedephila, becuase that’s what every person does who visits Thailand or anywhere in that region. There’s nothing else there but that. And also not supporting ICE because I’m clearly too lazy to clean my own house or wash my own car or grow my own fruit or slaughter my own cows. What a disgusting American Matthew is! You’re on a roll, Dave.
To be fair, I’ve never accused you of banging kids, but yea, I still question why you go to those places that condone it, which in a way is a support of the behavior by the government. And allowing sex tourism businesses to exist openly is condoning it.
By the way, the shadow banning of my posts needing approval is certainly interesting for a supposed free speech advocate.
Not sure what you mean by last sentence? Your posts never go into moderation as far as I know, unless you post more than one link. Just always use the same email address.
Nowm is right. This Democrats are to thank for this. Let’s also thank the Democrats for the cease fire in Israel. It happened during the shut down, so it’s the Dems fault. The Dollar has also made some sizeable gains over the last week. Thank you Democrats. I was in Arkansas this week and I saw E85 fuel for $1.98. Thank you Democrats.
Or do the Dems only get blamed for bad things? I don’t know how this works.
This is illegal. There is a law that says you can’t do it. Republicans can open the government at any time by using an override of the filibuster. They’ve done it before. Why can’t they again? They control every part of the federal government and seem to be using their power elsewhere.
At the end of the day it doesn’t matter whose fault it is. The Hatch act was a bipartisan LAW. It’s illegal. You cannot be for law and order and spew that dribble
You may have missed my sarcasm
Is there no one in this administration that understands looking the part?
This is clearly a partisan move. However, it is factually correct. The Senate Democrats are responsible for the shutdown, but the House Democrats are not. The Senate Democrats merely have to ok a month long temporary measure, that’s all.
A truthful assessment is that the Senate Democrats are responsible, but they are doing it to push some of their legislative ideas. They deem their ideas important enough to make the country suffer through a shutdown.
While Noem’s move is political, all over social media, there are lots of lying going on about the shutdown, falsely blaming Republicans. A common theme is to claim that the Republicans control the House and Senate and therefore are completely responsible for the shutdown. The truth of the matter is that 60 votes are needed to control the Senate, which the GOP lacks, but that some measures only need 51. The shutdown is a 60 vote matter.
Noem’s bad taste is not all to blame. The TSA and ATC people figure that they will eventually get paid if they work but also that other government employees will get paid even if they are prohibited from working. So why work? Why not don’t work. This is why free basic guaranteed income has problems; work or not, you get paid the same. What this shows is a lack of professionalism on the part of TSA and ATC.
What America needs is for the government to be taken over by a more competent government, like Singapore. Liechtenstein is also a possibility though they lack a track record of managing more than a few billion dollars.
Btw, I was pleasantly surprised we hadn’t nuked Norway Friday morning.
Re: “This administration is completely unhinged. Political messages do not belong in such videos.”, absolutely correct, both sentences.
Re: “Matt is taking that narrative and telling those saying it to GO F##K YOURSELF.”, Douchebag Dave Edwards you’re obviously too stupid to understand, Matt (and everyone else here) is telling YOU to GO F##K YOURSELF.
Re: “Senate Democrats are responsible for the shutdown,”,Dirtbag Derek you are WRONG as always, MAGA and the GOP are responsible for this shutdown with their insistence to eliminate health care coverage for 20 million Americans.
Douchebag Dave Edwards & Sch*tt Hsuan & Dirtbag Derek & A**hole Alert, proving with your every (too frequent) comments that your nicknames are absolutely accurate and completely deserved and that you have nothing better to do with your pathetic waste-of-oxygen lives than to post abhorrent and revolting comments here over and over again every single day. Thank you for confirming again that you and other MAGAs are stupid hateful racist cretins. Trolling or not, the extent and frequency of your comments are indicative of severe psychiatric and/or addiction problems. Your insults, undoubtedly projection, speak much more to your lack of character than to anyone you attack. You should crawl back under whatever rocks you crawled out from you SHPOSs.
@Douchebag Not
There is a continuing resolution (CR) with no other legislation in it. It’s just a continuation of government from October to November, that’s all.
Senate Democrats voted NO.
So they are they reason for the shutdown, plain and simple. Of course, one could argue that the Senate Democrats did it because they want their legislation passed.
Disclaimer: this post is not an endorsement of Trump or the Senate Republicans or Noem’s video.
Note: I am derek, not Derek. Derek is the other guy.
Dirtbag Derek, your civil reply in noted. Another thousand civil comments, to make up for your prior vile comments and maybe the insults will stop.
Re: “that the Senate Democrats did it because they want their legislation passed.”, bingo. Just like a broken clock even a dirtbag can be correct once or twice a day. Not to mention that Democrats have been unable to stop any of the many other constitutional and public health and economic disasters/violations of the current administration, this is one time they can draw a line in the sand.
Re: “I am derek, not Derek.”, much as you and your ilk want to rewrite history, you cannot rewrite the rules of spelling and grammar. But good to know it still bothers you. “Dictionary: “proper name”, noun: a name used for an individual person, place, or organization, spelled with initial capital letters, e.g., Larry, Mexico, and New York Yankees.”
I will say I believe this is a diferent Derek.
The only fair trade off would be to run a democratic response. Who believes poser Noem? She’s just another shield to protect the president from owning his agenda.
Release the files!
How do these braying simpletons keep getting appointed to such important jobs in your country?
Unfortunately, because there’s no literacy test to vote.
I doubt the foreigners queue of people waiting for over an hour to get through immigration will agree with anything she says.