Airports big and small — including Pittsburgh International Airport — will not play a video with a message from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in which she blames Democrats for the federal government shutdown and its impacts on Transportation Security Administration operations.
Airports in New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas, Charlotte, Phoenix, Seattle and more say the video’s political content goes against their policies or regulations prohibiting political messaging in their facilities.
In Pittsburgh, the issue appears to be technical.
On Tuesday, officials at the Findlay airport told City Cast Pittsburgh “we do not have the assets to accommodate multimedia requests,” including the controversial announcement intended for TV monitors positioned over security checkpoints.
Various government agencies, in emails to workers and on websites, have adopted language that blames Democrats for the shutdown. Some experts argue it could be in violation of the 1939 Hatch Act, which restricts certain political activities by federal employees.
In the video, Noem says the TSA’s “top priority” is to help make travel pleasant and efficient while keeping passengers 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,” she continues.
The TSA falls under the Department of Homeland Security.
Roughly 61,000 of the agency’s 64,130 employees are required to continue working during the shutdown, according to the Associated Press.
