New York Airports Reject Homeland Security Video Over Partisan Content

Major airports across the New York metropolitan area — including LaGuardia, JFK, Newark, and Westchester County Airport — have refused to play a video message from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that blames Democrats for the ongoing federal government shutdown, citing the video’s political content.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said it determined the message violated its long-standing ban on partisan material in public spaces.

“The Port Authority's longstanding policies prevent airing of politically partisan messages at our facilities, so airports are not airing the video on airport-controlled screens,” the agency said in a statement.

The shutdown, now in its second week, has disrupted routine operations across federal agencies and strained airport staffing as Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees continue to work without pay. Democrats have insisted that any deal to reopen the government must include measures to address health care funding, while Republicans say they will not negotiate until Democrats agree to approve government funding.

In the video, Noem claims that the TSA’s “top priority” is ensuring travel remains “pleasant and efficient” while maintaining passenger safety.

“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,” Noem says.

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed Friday that the video is being distributed for display in airports nationwide. TSA, which falls under the department, has roughly 64,000 employees — of which about 61,000 are required to continue working through the shutdown.

Local and state leaders swiftly condemned the video’s rollout. Westchester County Executive Ken Jennings called the message “inappropriate, unacceptable, and inconsistent with the values we expect.”

“At a time when we should be focused on ensuring stability, collaboration and preparedness, this type of messaging only distracts from the real issues and undermines public trust,” Jennings said.

Gov. Kathy Hochul released the following statement:

“When Kristi Noem isn't busy trying to defund the police in New York, she's apparently hard at work subjecting travelers to obviously false and nakedly partisan messaging,” Hochul said. “Here in New York, we'll stay focused on keeping the flying public safe — and that means not playing political ads in our airports.”

Airports in other cities, including Las Vegas, Charlotte, Atlanta, Phoenix, and Seattle, have issued similar statements, affirming that political messages are not permitted on their premises.