Some Airports Won’t Broadcast Noem’s Message Blaming Dems For The Shutdown

Airports across America’s busiest markets are refusing to play a video message from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem where she blames Democrats for the government shutdown and for travel delays airline customers might face.

POLITICO reached out to the 25 busiest airports in the U.S., according to a 2024 ranking from the Federal Aviation Administration — and more than half of them said they would not air the video in their facilities, with seven airports noting the “political” nature of the message violated airport policies. Those include some airports serving the busiest traveling hubs in the nation.

One airport, Detroit Metropolitan Airport, said it had started playing the video on monitors in “TSA-leased space.” Others said the video was still “under review.” The remaining seven airports did not return requests for comment.

The wave of pushback from airports across the country comes as the Trump administration continues to admonish Democrats for failing to support a GOP-led resolution that would pull the government from its ongoing shutdown. In the clip — meant to be played by airport security lines — Noem tells passengers they may face travel delays because “Democrats in Congress refuse to fund the federal government.”

“Because of this, many of our operations are impacted, and most of our TSA employees are working without pay,” Noem said in the video.

“We will continue to do all that we can to avoid delays that will impact your travel,” she continued. “And our hope is that Democrats will soon recognize the importance of opening the government.”

In a statement to POLITICO last week, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Noem’s video message was “rolling out in airports across the country” and echoed the clip’s criticism of Democrats.

The spokesperson declined to comment on whether DHS possessed the legal authority to compel airports to display the video.

Officials from airports in major markets like Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Philadelphia, along with Phoenix, Seattle and Salt Lake City said they wouldn’t air the video due to city, state or airport policies prohibiting “political” content displayed in airport facilities.

“The City of Philadelphia Department of Aviation, owner and operator of Philadelphia International Airport, does not accept or display materials that are political in nature in its facilities,” Philadelphia International Public Affairs Manager Heather Redfern said in an email.

“The Port of Seattle will not play the video on its screens at SEA Airport due to the political nature of the content,” a Port of Seattle spokesperson said in a statement. “We continue to urge bipartisan efforts to end the government shutdown and are working to find ways to support federal employees working without pay at SEA during the shutdown.”

A spokesperson for Palm Beach International Airport declined to specify whether they’d air the video, but said the airport does not own or control the monitors in its security checkpoints.

“The content is produced and managed by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA),” they said in the statement. “Neither the messaging nor the content is provided by PBI.”

A spokesperson for Charlotte Douglas International Airport said the opposite, noting TSA “does not own any monitors at the airport’s checkpoints” and that the monitors are reserved for “static content” providing travel information.

DHS did not return a request for comment.

A handful of other airports said they wouldn’t air the video in their airports’ premises, but stopped short of explicitly citing the partisan messaging. Spokespersons for Baltimore/Washington International Airport and Minneapolis-St. Paul International said they weren’t currently airing the video, but that the clip was “under review.”

“TSA is not airing the video while the MAC is evaluating this request under applicable legal requirements,” a spokesperson for Minneapolis-St. Paul International said in an email. “We’re grateful for the thousands of federal workers who are continuing to support air transportation at MSP and across the country during the government shutdown.”

Jennifer Mehigan, a spokesperson for Massport, the Massachusetts airport authority, said Logan Airport and other airports in the state were not playing the video, but acknowledged they hadn’t received a request to play the video in their facilities.

“Besides, there are no video screens at our TSA checkpoints,” she said in the statement.