Video of Kristi Noem blaming Democrats for shutdown rolling out at TSA security checkpoints across the country

In an extraordinary effort to inject politics into millions of Americans’ 
travel experiences, the Trump administration plans to roll out a video at 
airports across the United States that will blame Democrats for lapses in 
Transportation Security Administration workers’ pay because of the 
government shutdown.

People waiting in airport security lines will now be met with a new video 
of the Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem addressing the shutdown.

“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,” she 
says. “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 video was first obtained by Fox News.

The Department of Homeland Security responded to CNN’s questions about the 
video in a statement that noted the “public service video is rolling out 
across the country,” then repeated the language in the video almost 
verbatim.

“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,” the video concludes.

TSA checkpoints often include videos featuring government officials 
welcoming travelers and explanations of procedures, but they usually do 
not contain political messages.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/09/us/kristi-noem-tsa-video