Several U.S. airports will not show Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem‘s video about the government shutdown‘s effects on travel out of concern that it violates the Hatch Act.
Noem blames Democratic lawmakers for the shutdown in the video, which was set to play at every public airport in the United States to warn travelers about the shutdown’s effects on slowing travel processes and the Transportation Security Administration.
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The refusing airports include those in Portland, Oregon; Buffalo, New York; Seattle, Washington; Los Angeles, California; Charlotte, North Carolina; Cleveland, Ohio; Phoenix, Arizona; and Las Vegas, Nevada, according to a Newsweek report. The airports have cited concerns over the political nature of the video, pointing to the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal government employees from engaging with certain political activities and messaging while on the job, according to the Washington Post.
“It is TSA’s top priority to make sure that you have the most pleasant and efficient airport experience 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,” Noem says in the video.
Kara Hansen, a spokeswoman for the Port of Portland, which oversees the Portland International Airport, told the Washington Examiner that the airport’s refusal to show the video was out of concern that the video violated the Hatch Act and state laws. Hansen confirmed that the request to play the video came from TSA.
“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,” Hansen said. “Additionally, Oregon law states no public employee can promote or oppose any political committee, party, or affiliation. We believe consenting to playing this video on Port assets would violate Oregon law.”
The Hatch Act was passed in 1939 “to ensure that federal programs are administered in a nonpartisan fashion, to protect federal employees from political coercion in the workplace, and to ensure that federal employees are advanced based on merit and not based on political affiliation,” according to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel.
When the Washington Examiner asked the Department of Homeland Security for comment, Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin echoed Noem’s video, saying Democrats “refuse to fund the federal government.”
“While this creates challenges for our people, our security operations remain largely unimpacted at this time. It’s unfortunate our workforce has been put in this position due to political gamesmanship. Our hope is that Democrats will soon recognize the importance of opening the government,” McLaughlin said.
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Portland officials haven’t shied away from criticizing the White House lately. The Trump administration sent National Guard troops to Portland to fight crime, against the wishes of its local Democratic lawmakers. There have also been several protests outside Portland Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities.
The message of GOP congressional leadership and the Trump administration has been to blame the Democrats for the shutdown that began on Oct. 1. Several federal agencies have included website banners that blame Democrats, and several federal agencies’ out-of-office email messages also blamed Democrats for the shutdown.