U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, flanked by Transportation Security Administration Deputy Administrator Ha McNeil and Adam Stahl, senior TSA official serving as Administrator, speaks during a press conference at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport July 8, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia.
Kent Nishimura | Getty Images
Major U.S. airports from New York to Florida to Nevada are refusing to release a video showing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem blaming congressional Democrats for the ongoing federal government shutdown..
Some of those airports cited the political nature of Noem’s message for not releasing the video, saying it violated their policies.
The Transportation Security Administration has sent requests to airports across the country to broadcast the video on screens near passenger screening lines.
Noem, in the video, says, “TSA’s top priority is ensuring that you have the most pleasant and efficient airport experience possible while keeping you safe,” according to MSNBC.
“However, Democrats in Congress are refusing to fund the federal government and as a result, many of our operations are affected and most of our TSA employees are working without pay,” says Noem, whose department oversees the TSA.
Noem’s message is consistent with comments from President Donald Trump and other senior administration officials, who since the shutdown began Oct. 1 have criticized congressional Democrats for failing to join Republicans in passing a stopgap funding bill to resume normal government operations.
Democrats refuse to budge on their demand that any funding deal extend the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced tax credits, which are set to expire at the end of this year. The Republicans, in turn, refuse to include this provision.
Air traffic controllers resume operations a day after Hollywood Burbank Airport operated for hours without a staffed control tower due to a lack of staff due to the U.S. government shutdown, in Burbank, California, United States, October 7, 2025.
Daniel Cole | Reuters
Airports that refused to show Noem’s video include the three major airports in the New York area: John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport in Queens, as well as Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.
“Long-standing Port Authority policies prevent the broadcast of politically partisan messages at our facilities, so airports do not broadcast video on airport-controlled screens,” said a spokeswoman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates those three airports.
The Chicago Department of Aviation, which operates O’Hare International Airport and Chicago Midway International Airport, also declined DHS’s request.
“Advertising at Chicago airports, including promotional materials and public service announcements, must comply with CDA advertising guidelines, which prohibit content that supports or opposes a named political party,” the department said in an email. “These guidelines help ensure that airports remain welcoming and neutral spaces for all travelers.”
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Portland International Airport, Oregon, also declined to release the video.
The Portland Airport “did not consent to the release of the video in its current form because we believe the Hatch Act clearly prohibits the use of public property for political purposes and messaging,” Molly Prescott, air communications manager for the Port of Portland, which operates the airport, told CNBC via email.
The Hatch Act prohibits certain political activities by federal government employees and is intended to protect federal employees from political coercion in the workplace.
“Additionally, Oregon law states that no public employee may promote or oppose any political committee, party or affiliation,” Prescott said. “We believe that allowing the release of this video on port assets would violate Oregon law.”
A Miami International Airport spokesperson said it was not releasing the new Noem video, but rather an older video informing travelers about real IDs, “to be consistent with Miami-Dade County policy regarding messaging inside” the airport. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is not showing the video “because our advertising policy does not allow the display of political messages in our facilities,” a spokeswoman told CNBC.
A spokesperson for Charlotte Douglas International Airport said releasing the video would violate local laws and airport policies.
“Additionally, TSA does not have any monitors at airport checkpoints,” the Charlotte airport spokesperson said. “The limited digital displays owned by CLT are intended for static content that supports wayfinding, provides essential travel information and promotes CLT’s revenue-generating services.”
Spokespeople for Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and Harry Reid Las Vegas International Airport said those facilities declined to release the video because of policies prohibiting political content.
A Las Vegas airport spokesperson said that “as a facility hosting federal operations, we remain mindful of Hatch Act restrictions on political activity in government workplaces.”
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport reportedly refused to release Noem’s video.
CNBC contacted various airports in the United States to see if they were showing the video.
A representative for Detroit Metropolitan Airport said Noem’s video was shown on monitors in areas rented by the TSA.
A spokesperson for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport said the airport’s TSA checkpoints are not equipped with video monitors and therefore cannot display any video or digital content.
In a statement to CNBC, Tricia McLaughlin, deputy secretary of DHS, reiterated Noem’s comments on the video.
“While this creates challenges for our staff, our security operations remain largely unchanged at this time,” McLaughlin added. “It is unfortunate that our staff found themselves in this situation because of a political ploy,” she said.
“We hope that Democrats will soon recognize the importance of open government.”
A shortage of air traffic controllers during the government shutdown caused flight delays and disruptions, CNBC reported last week.
Airlines on Friday asked travelers to prepare for delays during the Columbus Day holiday weekend due to staffing shortages.
Last week, a shortage of air traffic controllers contributed to delays at airports, including in Burbank, California, and Nashville, Tennessee.
Air travel was disrupted during more than a month of government shutdown that ended in January 2019, hours after a lack of air traffic controllers disrupted flights in the New York area.
Before that, some airport security checkpoints were closed due to a high number of sick calls from Transportation Security Administration screeners, who also work without pay.
On Tuesday, air traffic controllers received their first partial salary. If the closure continues, they will not receive their full salary on October 28.
Screeners distributed pamphlets at airports in New York, Washington, D.C. and Chicago on Tuesday to urge the public to pressure lawmakers to end the shutdown.
