Local airports won't play Kristi Noem TSA video on government shutdown impact
NEW YORK (WABC) -- LaGuardia, JFK, Newark and Westchester airports are refusing to 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 TSA operations because of its political content.
The Port Authority said it concluded the video message violates its longstanding policies preventing "politically partisan messages" at its facilities.
"The Port Authority's longstanding policies prevent airing of politically partisan messages at our facilities, so airports are not airing the video on airport-controlled screens," the Port Authority said in a statement.
The shutdown has halted routine operations and left airports scrambling with flight disruptions. Democrats say any deal to reopen the government has to address their health care demands, and Republicans say they won't negotiate until they agree to fund the government. Insurance premiums would double if Congress fails to renew the subsidy payments that expire Dec. 31.
In the video, Noem says that 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 Transportation Security Administration 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. The Department said Friday that the video is being rolled out to airports across the country.
Westchester County Executive Ken Jennings announced Friday night that the message "is inappropriate, unacceptable, and inconsistent with the values we expect."
"At a time when we should be focused on ensuring stability, collaboration and preparedness, this type of messaging only distracts from the real issues, and undermines public trust," he said.
And Gov. Kathy Hochul released the following statement:
"When Kristi Noem isn't busy trying to defund the police in New York, she's apparently hard at work subjecting travelers to obviously false and nakedly partisan messaging. Here in New York, we'll stay focused on keeping the flying public safe - and that means not playing political ads in our airports."
Airports in Las Vegas, Charlotte, Atlanta, Phoenix, Seattle and more also say the video goes against their airport policy or regulations which prohibit political messaging in their facilities.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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