Kristi Noem Blames Democrats for Shutdown in TSA Airport Video That Will Play On Loop To Frustrated Airport Passengers

As the United States comes close to entering the third week of a partial government shutdown, the strain is beginning to show on the already stressed National Airspace System. Some airports have already faced disruption due to air traffic controller shortages, but problems could get a whole lot worse in the coming days.

Tens of thousands of federal government employees in essential roles are still expected to show up for work without pay, but if past shutdowns are anything to go by, absenteeism is expected to rise at some point very soon.

In particular, 50,000 Transportation Security Officers employed by the TSA at airport security checkpoints nationwide are still required to work unpaid for however long the shutdown drags on.

Some of those TSOs might not be able to afford to even get to work if the shutdown lasts for much longer, while others are likely to start taking on secondary jobs to make up for a lack of salary from the government.

And that’s likely to result in staff shortages at the TSA, which will translate to long days at airport security checkpoints.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wants frustrated travelers to know exactly who she blames for the shutdown in a new video that will be played on a continuous loop at TSA checkpoints across the United States.

As you may have guessed, Noem manages to call out the Democrats twice during the short 36-second video, accusing the party of ‘refusing’ to fund the federal government.

The full transcript of the video reads:

“Hi, I’m Christine Nome, the United States Secretary of Homeland Security. 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.

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.”

While Noem is responsible for trying to keep the TSA running during the shutdown, it is the job of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to make sure that air traffic control towers are staffed.

In response to several airports being hit by absent air traffic controllers, Duffy reportedly described absent controllers as “problem children,” saying he would fire any staff who “aren’t dedicated like we need.”

The shutdown couldn’t come at a worse time for Duffy, who has attempted to bolster understaffed air traffic control centers with one of the biggest controller recruitment drives in recent history.

Recruitment and training are, however, on hold during the shutdown, and could take some time to ramp up even once funding is restored. Terminating ‘bad actors’ as Duffy described, could put even more pressure on the strained service.