Airports Reject Homeland Security Video as Shutdown Enters Third Week

As the federal government shutdown appears likely to extend into a third week, a political controversy is brewing over a video message from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that dozens of major U.S. airports have refused to display at security checkpoints.

The video, which features Noem blaming Democrats for the shutdown and its effects on air travel, has been rejected by more than 20 of the nation’s busiest airports, prompting outrage from some Republican lawmakers, including Representative Lauren Boebert of Colorado.

“This is completely unacceptable,” Boebert declared in a social media statement on Wednesday. “I will be contacting the Department of Transportation to demand action on airports refusing to show Secretary Noem’s video at TSA checkpoints.”

Boebert further claimed that “the Democrat shutdown is causing travel chaos” and that “the American people deserve transparency, efficiency, and an end to this shutdown—now.”

However, airport authorities have cited various reasons for declining to air the message. Denver International Airport, which was specifically targeted by Boebert’s criticism, explained that TSA had never even requested to play the video because the airport lacks “monitors capable of playing video at our checkpoints.”

Other airports have been more direct about their concerns regarding the content of Noem’s message. Colorado Springs Airport stated it “adheres to policies that prohibit the display of materials that could be interpreted as political or partisan in nature,” while Seattle-Tacoma International Airport cited “the political nature of the content” in its refusal.

Las Vegas’ Harry Reid Airport similarly noted that the video “did not align with the neutral, informational nature of the public service announcements typically shown at the security checkpoints.”

In the controversial video, Noem tells travelers: “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.”

The shutdown has indeed created significant challenges for air travel security operations. TSA agents and air traffic controllers are currently required to work without pay until the budget impasse is resolved.

Legal experts have raised serious concerns about the video’s compliance with federal law. John Berry, an attorney with 26 years of experience in Hatch Act cases, told CNN that the message “completely runs afoul of the Hatch Act.” The 1939 law prohibits executive branch employees, including cabinet secretaries, from using government resources for partisan political activities.

“[Noem] filmed it, most likely, using government resources,” Berry explained. “Even though it’s being played at the airport, which is like a separate entity, it’s definitely a political activity.”

According to a tally by Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group, all but three of the nation’s 25 busiest airports have declined to show the video, representing a near-unanimous rejection of the message.

“The overwhelming refusal by the nation’s airports to air this partisan and illegal video is a welcome sign of civil servants performing their jobs with honor and defending basic democratic norms,” said Robert Weissman, Public Citizen’s co-president, in an emailed statement.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson has thus far refused to call legislators back to Washington to address the shutdown, extending the political standoff that has left thousands of federal workers in financial limbo.

As the shutdown continues, its impacts are likely to become increasingly visible to the traveling public, with potential delays and staffing challenges at security checkpoints nationwide—regardless of which political messaging is or isn’t displayed at airports.