BLUMENTHAL & REED LEAD SENATORS IN CALLING OUT NOEM’S BLATANT VIOLATION OF HATCH ACT WITH PARTISAN AIRPORT VIDEO

“At a time when federal employees, including TSA agents, are being asked to work without pay, this outwardly political act was not just a violation of law but an insult to the thousands of TSA employees serving in your department.”

[WASHINGTON, DC] – U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Jack Reed (D-RI) today called out Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem for potentially violating federal law by asking airports to play blatantly partisan videos at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints regarding shutdown staffing and delays. In a letter to Noem, the Senators demanded that DHS immediately remove the videos and provide information about the resources that were used to create and disseminate them.

“Federal law clearly prohibits using federal funding for partisan political activities as a violation of Section 715 of P.L. 118-47, and the requirement that airports play these videos is also likely a violation of the Hatch Act and the Anti-Lobbying Act. At a time when federal employees, including TSA agents, are being asked to work without pay, this outwardly political act was not just a violation of law but an insult to the thousands of TSA employees serving in your department,” the Senators wrote.

The Senators continued, “This video is just the latest in a series of violations of Sec. 715 by the Trump Administration. As we reminded OMB Director Russ Vought in an October 7, 2025 letter, ‘Spirited public debate has its place, but agency resources, including websites or emails, should not be used to send overtly political, and in this case, misleading messages, to the American people.’”

U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Tina Smith (D-MN), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) joined Blumenthal and Reed in sending today’s letter to Noem. The full text of the letter is available here and below.

Dear Secretary Noem,

On October 9, 2025, airports across the country were asked to play blatantly partisan videos at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints regarding shutdown staffing and delays at your direction. Federal law clearly prohibits using federal funding for partisan political activities as a violation of Section 715 of P.L. 118-47, and the requirement that airports play these videos is also likely a violation of the Hatch Act and the Anti-Lobbying Act.^[1] At a time when federal employees, including TSA agents, are being asked to work without pay this outwardly political act was not just a violation of law but an insult to the thousands of TSA employees serving in your department. We write to demand that you immediately remove these videos and provide information about the resources that were used to create and disseminate them.

According to reports, you have directed airports around the country to play a “public service video” from the Department of Homeland Security that accuses Democrats in Congress of not funding the government.^[2] This appears to be a flagrant violation of Sec. 715, which states, “No part of any funds appropriated in this or any other act shall be used by an agency of the executive to branch … for the preparation, distribution or use of any … film presentation designed to support or defeat legislation pending before the Congress, except in presentation to the Congress itself.”^[3] The video is also wrong: we have voted seven times in the last two months to provide funding for the government and lower health care costs for Americans around the country, but the Republican-controlled Senate has repeatedly rejected the measure.

This video is just the latest in a series of violations of Sec. 715 by the Trump Administration. As we reminded OMB Director Russ Vought in an October 7, 2025 letter, “Spirited public debate has its place, but agency resources, including websites or emails, should not be used to send overtly political, and in this case, misleading messages, to the American people.”^[4]

You must immediately remove these videos from all TSA checkpoints and cease illegally using federal funds for partisan political messaging. Additionally, we request the following information to help us examine the extent to which your actions violated federal law and misused federal funds:

1. Provide a complete breakdown of the cost of creating and disseminating the video, including:
1. The cost of production, editing, filming, and circulation;
2. What funding sources were used to cover the costs;
3. Who approved their use; and
4. When the use of these funds was approved.
2. Who in the Trump Administration was consulted on the decision to create the video?
3. Were outside consultants or other individuals not employed by the Department of Homeland Security involved in the decision to create the video or the production and/or dissemination of the video? If so, please list those individuals and organizations, and how much they were paid for their work.

We will be monitoring your compliance with federal law.

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