Department of Homeland Security
Audio By Carbonatix
Denver International Airport is not playing a controversial video in which Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem addresses potential travel delays during the government shutdown by blaming Democrats in Congress.
The video began making the rounds on social media October 9, shortly after it debuted at airport security lines and checkpoints around the country; the Transportation Security Administration falls under the DHS.
“TSA’s top priority to make sure that you have the most pleasant and efficient airport experience as possible while we keep you safe,” the DHS Secretary says in the video. “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’s comments and finger-pointing have been criticized for inserting politics into federal workforce matters as well as public travel. She’s also been called out for allegedly violating the Hatch Act, a longstanding law that bans federal officials from directly engaging in political actions while working. (The legislation was passed by Congress in 1939 after government workers were accused of campaigning for the FDR administration.)
Airports in Seattle and Portland both declined to play the video, and Denver’s won’t be showing it, either — but not because it’s refusing to do so. According to DIA, the monitors used to display security wait times and other TSA information at checkpoints don’t have audio capabilities, so they can’t run Noem’s video in any case. Neither the DHS nor any other part of the Trump administration had directly requested that the videos be played, an airport official adds.
According to the Colorado Springs Municipal Airport, the new DHS video will not be played at security checkpoints because “it is in violation of airport advertising policy.” Aspen is not playing it, either.
Airports across the country have experienced delayed security lines and air-traffic-controller shortages since the federal shutdown began nearly two weeks ago on October 1. Despite controlling all three branches of government, Republicans have been unable to pass a continuing budget resolution.
