Airports reject DHS political video as safety risks mount

At least 15 major airports refused to play the DHS video, including JFK, LaGuardia, Newark, O'Hare, Midway, Charlotte Douglas, Seattle-Tacoma, San Francisco, Portland, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Cleveland.

Portland International Airport explicitly cited the Hatch Act, stating 'we believe the Hatch Act clearly prohibits use of public assets for political purposes and messaging.'

The Port Authority of 🗽New York and 🏖️New Jersey said 'longstanding policies prevent airing of politically partisan messages at our facilities.'

Westchester County Executive KJKen Jenkins called the video 'inappropriate, unacceptable, and inconsistent with the values we expect from our nation's top public officials.'

The shutdown began Oct. 1 after both Republican and Democratic funding bills failed to reach 60 votes in the Senate—Republicans control the presidency and both chambers but need Democratic votes to overcome the filibuster.

Republicans passed a 'clean' continuing resolution through Nov. 21; Democrats proposed funding through Oct. 31 with extensions of ACA subsidies expiring Dec. 31 and restrictions on Trump's impoundment authority.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated 750,000 federal workers would be furloughed, with 61,000+ TSA employees and 13,000 air traffic controllers working without pay.

Air traffic controller staffing was already critically short before the shutdown—the FAA has fallen behind on training replacements for over a decade, creating what controllers call 'dangerous' conditions.

During the shutdown, sick calls among controllers increased, causing ground stops at Hollywood Burbank (no controllers for hours), Nashville (operations shifted to another facility), and delays at O'Hare, Reagan National, Denver, and Bradley airports.

Transportation Secretary SDSean Duffy admitted staffing shortfalls caused more than 50% of flight delays during the shutdown, up from the normal 5%.

Duffy threatened to fire controllers calling in sick, calling them 'problem children' who are 'lashing out'—though controllers are essential workers legally prohibited from striking.

Newark Liberty International Airport's capacity dropped from 80 aircraft per hour to 28-34 in Jun. 2025 due to staffing, technical failures, and construction—later increased to 68-72 through procedural changes.

The Trump administration plastered 'Radical Left' and 'Democrat' blame messages across federal agency websites, employee out-of-office emails, and videos—triggering multiple Hatch Act complaints filed with the Office of Special Counsel.

Public Citizen filed 9 Hatch Act complaints in the first 3 days of the shutdown; Rep. RGRobert Garcia requested an OSC investigation into the 'pattern of abuse and politicization.'

HUD Secretary STScott Turner said he wasn't worried 'at all' about violating the Hatch Act, claiming the messaging was 'just about letting the American people know what's going on.'

The Department of Education replaced employee out-of-office messages without consent to political statements blaming 'Democrat Senators,' which Rep. JRJamie Raskin called 'a form of identity theft.'