More than half a dozen airports are refusing to play a MAGA message from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem because of its partisan tone.
The video from Kristi Noem, blaming Democrats for the federal shutdown, is getting grounded rather than screened in airport terminals across the U.S.
The slickly produced clip, intended to run on monitors at security checkpoints, accuses Democrats of refusing to fund the government, suggests that Transportation Security Administration operations have been “impacted,” and that many TSA staff are working without pay.
Homeland Security Secretary Noem stars in the video, in which she tries to nail congressional Democrats for causing and sustaining the government shutdown.
“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,” she declares in the short clip.
Several airports are refusing to air the message, intended to play at security lines. “We did not consent to playing the video in its current form, as we believe the Hatch Act clearly prohibits use of public assets for political purposes and messaging,” said Molly Prescott, spokesperson for the Port of Portland, the authority that oversees the Portland International Airport, Hillsboro Airport and Troutdale Airport.
She said the request to play the clip, which came from the TSA, could contravene the Hatch Act. The 1939 law limits certain political activities of federal employees who work in connection with federally funded programs.
In the statement given to CNN, Prescott added that Oregon state law prohibits public employees from promoting or opposing any political committee, party, or affiliation.
A Port of Seattle spokesperson also told CNN that Seattle-Tacoma International Airport won’t air the message because of the political tone. “We continue to urge bipartisan efforts to end the government shutdown and are working to find ways to support federal employees working without pay at SEA during the shutdown,” the spokesperson said.
Ken Jenkins, the executive of Westchester County near New York City, slammed the message, which replaced one about REAL ID—a clip, starring Noem, about the need for a federally compliant driver’s license or ID for domestic air travel.
“Westchester County has reviewed the request from the Department of Homeland Security to replace the REAL ID video with a Public Service Announcement (PSA) that was released by United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, and our message is clear: it is inappropriate, unacceptable, and inconsistent with the values we expect from our nation’s top public officials,” Jenkins said in a statement.
A spokesperson for the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, which operates Niagara Falls International Airport and Buffalo Niagara International Airport, had similar concerns. A spokesperson for Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas also said the airport’s top brass snubbed the video.
The spokesperson cited “political messaging that did not align with the neutral, informational nature of the public service announcements typically shown at the security checkpoints.”
In a statement given to the Wall Street Journal, Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin claimed the dissent has not affected the agency. “While this creates challenges for our people, our security operations remain largely unimpacted at this time,” she said.
Airports in Charlotte, Cleveland, and Los Angeles have also refused the ICE vids.
The Daily Beast has asked for further comment.
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