WASHINGTON — A controversial video featuring Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is now airing at airports across the United States, blaming Democrats for the ongoing government shutdown that has stretched into its ninth day.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that the video, part of an official Trump administration communication campaign, is being broadcast nationwide. In the clip, Noem accuses congressional Democrats of refusing to fund the federal government, resulting in widespread operational slowdowns and thousands of federal workers—especially those in aviation—working without pay.

> “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,” Noem says in the video.

The message comes as more than 13,000 air traffic controllers continue working unpaid, with their first missed paycheck expected next Tuesday. The shutdown has led to increasing frustration and growing delays at airports nationwide.

Democratic leaders swiftly condemned the message, calling it a politically motivated misuse of a nonpartisan office.

> “Every day that Republicans refuse to negotiate to end this shutdown, the worse it gets for Americans—and the clearer it becomes who’s fighting for them,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday.

Social media users were equally outraged. One viral post on X (formerly Twitter) read:

> “Ms. Noem needs to look at her title. She is the Director of Homeland Security, not the Director for Republican Homeland Security. Her position is supposed to be nonpartisan.”

The government shutdown began on October 1, after Congress failed to agree on a spending bill. Democrats rejected a Republican-backed stopgap measure that excluded funding for low-income health insurance subsidies, while Republicans accused Democrats of “holding the government hostage” over social spending.

As Noem’s video continues looping through airport terminals nationwide, many travelers have called it a “dystopian display of propaganda”, questioning the ethics of politicized messaging in public spaces during a national crisis.

> “What dystopian nightmare is this?” one traveler remarked online — a sentiment now echoed across the country. Read More