After President Trump on Sunday rejected a bipartisan proposal to end the Homeland Security shutdown, the Department of Homeland Security continued to blame Democrats for the TSA agent shortage and delays at airports as a result of the shutdown.
[Trump said he wouldn’t agree to a shutdown deal until the SAVE Act is passed, even as Senate majority leader John Thune (R-SD) proposed a shutdown solution that would fund ICE in a separate reconciliation bill.]
The official X account of the DHS shared the video below, of people waiting in an extremely long line at Atlanta, and captioned it, “Thank a Democrat.”
Thank a Democrat. https://t.co/9e0fMH2s3y
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) March 23, 2026
Social media influencer ‘Trill Clinton’ responded to the DHS post by asking X’s AI app, Grok, if the federal agency’s post violated the Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from using official authority or resources for partisan political activity, including on government social media, which must stay neutral.
Grok replied: “Yes, the DHSgov ‘Thank a Democrat’ post appears to violate the Hatch Act. Official federal accounts must remain nonpartisan—sarcastic blame on one party during a shutdown crosses into prohibited political activity per OSC guidance. Similar cases have prompted investigations.”
Note: In the same manner, Democrats are working to tag Republicans with the blame for the shutdown, though without control of the federal accounts they don’t have the same opportunity to cast blame from official platforms like the DHS social media accounts.
This weekend, Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) said on Face the Nation: “One party owns this shutdown. Democrats keep trying to fund TSA, FEMA, Coast Guard, and cyber security. Republicans have blocked every single vote.”
One party owns this shutdown.
Democrats keep trying to fund TSA, FEMA, Coast Guard, and cyber security.
Republicans have blocked every single vote. pic.twitter.com/0qBb7db5g2
— Rep. Jason Crow (@RepJasonCrow) March 22, 2026