O’Hare and Midway international airports have joined a growing list of airports refusing to play a video from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that accuses Democrats of causing the ongoing government shutdown and its impacts on flight operations.
Mayor Brandon Johnson, in a statement issued Tuesday afternoon, said he instructed the Chicago Department of Aviation to decline to play the video.
“The video shows DHS Secretary Kristi Noem making political assertions about the ongoing government shutdown,” Johnson said in the statement. “Our airports are for Chicagoans and visitors to travel safely to and from our city; they are not for the Trump administration to spread propaganda using taxpayer resources.”
In its own statement earlier Tuesday, the Chicago Department of Aviation said it declined to play the video because the video does not comply with its advertising and public service announcement guidelines, which prohibit content that endorses or opposes any named political party.
“These guidelines help ensure the airports remain welcoming and neutral spaces for all travelers,” the Aviation Department said in its statement.
Airports in Las Vegas, Charlotte, Atlanta, Phoenix and Seattle are also refusing to play the video due to its partisan messaging.
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 says.
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.
A DHS spokeswoman responded to a request for comment restating some of the message from Noem’s video.
“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,” spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said.
Contributing: Associated Press
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