Dem Senators Go After Kristi Noem for Hatch Act Violations Over TSA Video Blaming Them for Gov’t Shutdown – RedState
Thursday marks the 16th day of Schumer’s shutdown. You’d think Democratic senators have bigger concerns, such as Majority Leader John Thune’s (R-SD) offer to vote on Obamacare expansions in exchange for a vote to reopen the government. Instead, Senate Democrats are upset by a new video recorded by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem that blames them for the government shutdown. Several airports have already refused to broadcast the advertisement, considering it “coercive”. But forcing us to watch CNN over and over again? Not at all coercive.
Learn more: Watch: Sec. Noem Brings the Facts Straight to the American People on Airport Delays and Schumer Shutdown
It’s now ‘airport resistance’: several facilities refuse to broadcast video of Kristi Noem’s Schumer closure
So they plan to launch an investigation into Noem’s placement of these videos in U.S. airports, on the basis that it violates the Hatch Act. By leaving “Senator Stolen Valor” Richard Blumenthal (Democrat-CT) proves that these are not serious people; but the Americans already know that.
I demand that Noem stop her illegal video message, shown on TSA screens in airports across the country, falsely blaming Democrats for the shutdown. This violates the Hatch Act, making travelers a captive audience for partisan propaganda. My letter is joined by equally outraged colleagues pic.twitter.com/kzjvwpu5fn
– Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) October 15, 2025
Democratic senators say the Department of Homeland Security potentially violated the Hatch Act by requiring airports across the country to release a video in which DHS Secretary Kristi Noem blames Democrats for the impacts of the government shutdown.
“This appears to be a blatant violation of Section 715, which states that ‘No part of the funds appropriated for this or any other Act shall be used by any agency of the Executive Branch to establish a branch… for the preparation, distribution, or use of any… motion picture presentation designed to support or defeat legislation pending before the Congress, except as part of a presentation to the Congress itself,'” the Democratic senator wrote. Connecticut, Richard Blumenthal, in the letter to DHS citing a section of the Anti-Lobbying Act.
The Hatch Act restricts certain political activities of federal employees and certain state, Washington, D.C., and local government officials who are involved in or work in federally funded programs. Penalties for violations include termination from federal employment, suspension without pay, demotion, or blocking a party from federal employment for up to five years, according to the Office of Special Counsel.
This is what keeps the Democrats and their insane galleries busy. They even want the White House posting memes mocking Democrats to be flagged as a violation of the Hatch Act.
This is a blatant violation of the trap law, but no one cares because it’s actually one of the smallest laws this administration has broken. pic.twitter.com/HrLRnbZ2MO
– ZootLord (@Zoot_Lord) October 6, 2025
Here’s what the Hatch Act is supposed to do.
The Hatch Act of 1939 is a federal law intended to limit the political activities of government employees. Its primary goal is to ensure that the federal workforce operates in a nonpartisan manner, free from political influence or coercion. The law aims to prevent the use of official authority to influence election results and to protect public officials from pressure to support specific candidates or parties. This framework helps maintain a system in which federal employment and advancement are based on merit rather than political affiliation.
Dive Deeper: Now it’s his turn: Jack Smith reportedly under investigation for Hatch Act violations
The key words here: influence, coercion and election results. How can advertising placing blame where it rightly belongs and describing the felt ramifications of this shutdown become a form of influence or coercion? Which election is Noem expected to influence? This is pure nonsense. Invoking the Hatch Act has become a magical talisman that is used whenever elected officials do things in a way that someone doesn’t like, whether that official is a Democrat or Republican.
The Hatch Act also has little teeth, so one Congress after another has attempted to deepen its enforcement mechanisms. So far, these efforts have failed. However, there have been blatant violations of the Hatch Act by, you guessed it, Democrats. The Biden administration is the latest and greatest example.
Former Biden advisor Neera Tanden, one of the admitted auto-open managers, shows what a Hatch Act violation really looks like.
In a complaint filed Wednesday with the Merit Systems Protection Board, the OSC alleges that Neera Tanden, director of the U.S. Domestic Policy Council, violated the Hatch Act by posting statements on social media asking for donations to several different Democratic candidates in the 2024 general election, despite being warned against such postings.
“Congress created a rule prohibiting all federal employees from fundraising for political candidates,” Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger said in a statement. “The Hatch Act contains no escape route for White House officials. Last May, I made clear that my office would enforce the law as it is written.”
According to the complaint, Tanden repeatedly posted on social media asking people to donate to Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democratic candidates, even after the agency informed the White House last August that doing so was a violation of the Hatch Act.
Another Biden Cabinet member, Health and Human Affairs Secretary Xavier Becerra, gave a speech in his official capacity as HHS secretary and, at the end, congratulated Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) and encouraged people to vote for his re-election. A clearly balanced political pitch.
At the gala, Becerra received the 2022 American Dream Medallion Award and he delivered remarks about the work of HHS and the Biden administration, which were reviewed and approved by an HHS ethics attorney. After a short video was released about Becerra, identifying him as the 25th HHS secretary, Padilla presented him with the award.
“After the video ended, Secretary Becerra thanked Senator Padilla for the award and, departing from his prepared remarks, said, ‘To my brother, my friend and Senator, and to someone I will be voting for in a little over a month, Alex Padilla, thank you very much, Senator for being there for all of us. We are proud to have you as our Senator,'” the report said. Some members of Becerra’s staff were present at the gala and recorded the remarks. “On the recording, a member of his staff can be heard gasping after the secretary’s comments about Senator Padilla and saying, ‘No, no, you can’t say that.’ »
During the investigation, Becerra told OSC that his remarks were “spontaneous” and reflected his “long-standing personal relationship” with Padilla. Regarding the voting portion of his statement, Becerra said, “I don’t think it expresses anything other than what I would do as a responsible citizen in the near future.” »
OSC was not influenced.
“The explanations offered by Becerra do not serve to mitigate the delivery of this report to the President,” the report said. The office also noted that Becerra has received “extensive information” about the Hatch Act since taking office.
Then there are those modest examples that seem to cross the line, but are not egregious violations. Like Congressman Eric Swalwell who was promoting and selling merchandise for the October 18 “No Kings” rally.
The No Kings Rally is only a few weeks away. Get your products now at https://t.co/yF7PoUdR5r and I’ll see you there! pic.twitter.com/XjsEob69dh
– Eric Swalwell (@ericswalwell) October 1, 2025
Although California Governor Gavin Newsom is not a federal employee or official, he uses his office to promote progressive and Democratic agendas on steroids. Imagine what he would do if he ever became president. Perish this thought.
I urge our nation to use this weekend’s No Kings marches as a declaration of independence against the tyranny and anarchy that currently rules this country.
Use your voice. ACT PEACEFULLY. Protect yourself and your community.
THERE ARE NO KINGS IN THE UNITED STATES. pic.twitter.com/ClZbE1LZBg
– Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) October 16, 2025
Meanwhile, Senate Democrats continue their fishing expeditions, looking for a crime they can blame on the Trump administration. You’d think they would have learned it by now, but that would be too much like RIGHT.
The senators also asked DHS to provide information about the funding used to produce the video, including the cost, who approved the funds, whether anyone from the Trump administration was consulted on the video and whether any outside contractors or organizations were involved in its creation in order to assess whether any federal laws were violated or funds misused, according to the letter.
Expect this to go nowhere.
Editor’s note: Schumer’s closure is here. Rather than putting the American people first, Chuck Schumer and radical Democrats forced a government shutdown on health care for illegal immigrants. They own that.
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