Portland, Sea-Tac and Westchester airports among those refusing to play Kristi Noem video in TSA lines

Some US airports are refusing to play a video of Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem blaming Democrats for the federal authorities shutdown.

The video, first obtained by Fox News, is meant to play at security lines, with Noem stating, “It is TSA’s top priority to make sure that you have the most pleasant and efficient airport experience as possible while we keep you safe.”

She also says, “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.”

In an electronic mail to GWN, a spokesperson for the Port of Portland, which operates Portland International Airport, Hillsboro Airport and Troutdale Airport, confirmed a request got here from the Transportation Security Administration to show the video message.

“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 Hatch Act is a 1939 law which prohibits political actions of federal staff to guarantee authorities applications are administered in a nonpartisan fashion.

Prescott added Oregon law states no public worker can promote or oppose any political committee, social gathering or affiliation.

TSA checkpoints often embrace videos that includes authorities officers welcoming vacationers and explanations of procedures, but they normally don’t comprise political messages.

A Port of Seattle spokesperson also told GWN Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, won’t play the video “due to the political nature of the content.”

“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.

In Westchester County, just north of New York City, the airport won’t show the video either.

“The PSA politicizes the impacts of a federal government shutdown on TSA Operations, and the County finds the tone to be unnecessarily alarmist,” County Executive Ken Jenkins said in a assertion. “It is inappropriate, unacceptable, and inconsistent with the values we expect from our nation’s top public officials.”

It shouldn’t be clear if any airport has agreed to show the video message.

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