'Illegal as hell': Trump official slammed for airport 'propaganda' video blaming Dems for shutdown

On Thursday, October 9, Fox News and CNN reported that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem plans to air a video at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints in U.S. airports blaming Democrats for the partial shutdown of the federal government — which is causing flight delays and long lines.

In the video that travelers will be seeing, Noem declares, "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."

CNN reporters Pete Muntean and Aaron Cooper note, "TSA checkpoints often include videos featuring government officials welcoming travelers and explanations of procedures, but they usually do not contain political messages."

The video is receiving a lot of reactions on X, formerly Twitter.

Photographer Thomas Keepout commented, "Illegal as hell but Trump Republicans don't care about illegal."

Self-described "Gen-X advocate" Mike Young tweeted, "Everyone feels the sting of this shutdown. TSA officers are scanning bags without pay. Border agents are standing post on fumes and frustration. Their refrigerators are empty while they keep the country running. That is sacrifice. That is service. But instead of fixing it, Secretary Noem floods airport screens with a scripted attack on Democrats, as if finger-pointing is what taxpayers hired her to do."

Young continued, "Let us be clear. Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the White House. That is not gridlock, that is a trifecta. When one party holds every lever and still chooses stalemate, it is not obstruction, it is strategy. Calling this a blue-state problem is not leadership, it is misdirection. Blaming the minority while holding the majority is not patriotism, it is propaganda."

Democratic X user Val H. posted, "Trump is president and is 100% responsible for the shutdown."

Another X user, Damien Arnold, remarked, "Too bad it doesn't work when the entire country knows who controls the government."

X user Sander Hazewinkel wrote, "Because the GOP tries to push a terrible bill through their throat without any compromise and the Democrats in their right minds can’t take responsibility for the ugliness! That's why, it's extremely poor governance by the GOP! And again the weaklings they are is blaming the DEMs."