Kristi Noem Is Trying to Use Airports to Spread Propaganda

One Portland airport spokesperson said: “We did not consent to playing the video in its current form, as we believe the Hatch Act clearly prohibits use of public assets for political purposes and messaging.”

By Danielle Han  |  October 14, 2025 | 4:15pm
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Kristi Noem Is Trying to Use Airports to Spread Propaganda
Photo: Twitter/@NoLieWithBTC

Imagine this: You’ve got just an hour before your flight starts boarding, you’re schlepping a carry-on backpack stuffed to the brim, your passport’s in one hand, the handle to a suitcase with a faulty wheel is in the other, and you’re about to finally go through security—when a video of Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem whining about Democrats starts blaring. That’d be my last straw. 

In a clip the Department of Homeland Security has asked airports to air, Noem announces: “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.” 

Amid the government shutdown, thousands of TSA workers and air traffic controllers have been working—per standard procedure—without pay. And according to MiseryMap, a live tracking tool, thousands of flights have been delayed since the shutdown began on Oct. 1. (I know we already did a hypothetical…but imagine you’re working without pay, and constantly being reminded of it. By Noem. On repeat. Again, last straw.) 

Besides revealing her inability to read the room, ICE Barbie’s video appears to be a gross violation of state and federal laws, such as one that prohibits federal employees from engaging in partisan political messaging. Since Friday, at least 13 airports have refused to play it. In a statement to CNN, one Portland airport spokesperson said: “We did not consent to playing the video in its current form, as we believe the Hatch Act clearly prohibits use of public assets for political purposes and messaging.” In another, a spokesperson for a Nevada-based airport said they “declined” to play the video due of its “political messaging that did not align with the neutral, informational nature of the public service announcements typically shown at the security checkpoints.” 

While it’s not unusual for airports to show clips from the DHS, most of them usually include safety tips or PSAs—not political rants by government figureheads. But speaking to The Daily Beast, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin doubled down Noem’s video, saying, “It is TSA’s top priority to ensure that travelers have the most safe, pleasant and efficient airport experience possible. However, Democrats in Congress refuse to fund the federal government, and because of this, most of our TSA employees are working without pay.” 

Currently, we’re on day 14 of the shutdown—the second time it’s happened during a Trump presidency—and about 1.4 million federal employees have been furloughed or are working without pay. Contrary to Republicans’ blame game, the shutdown is largely the result of GOP legislators refusing to extend Obamacare health subsidies, which are set to expire for 22 million Americans by the end of the year. 

 
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