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.
Airports in Las Vegas, Charlotte, Atlanta, Phoenix and Seattle are also refusing to play the video due to its partisan messaging.
In the video, Noem says that TSA’s “top priority” is to help make travel pleasant and efficient while keeping passengers safe.
A video released by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accusing Democrats of being responsible for the ongoing government shutdown and its effects on flight operations has been blocked by O’Hare and Midway international airports, joining an increasing number of other airports from doing the same.
In a statement released Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Brandon Johnson said he gave the Chicago Department of Aviation instructions not to play the video.
In the statement, Johnson said, “The video exhibits DHS Secretary Kristi Noem making political claims regarding the ongoing government shutdown.”. The purpose of our airports is to facilitate safe travel for both locals and tourists; the Trump administration should not use taxpayer funds to disseminate propaganda. “”.
In its statement, the Aviation Department stated that these rules help guarantee that airports continue to be friendly and impartial places for all passengers.
Due to its partisan content, airports in Las Vegas, Charlotte, Atlanta, Phoenix, and Seattle are also refusing to play the video.
Routine operations have been suspended by the shutdown, leaving airports to deal with the disruption of flights. Republicans say they will not negotiate until they agree to fund the government, while Democrats insist that any agreement to reopen the government must solve their health care demands. The subsidy payments expire in December, and if Congress does not renew them, insurance premiums will double. 31.
TSA’s “top priority,” according to Noem in the video, is to make travel efficient and enjoyable while maintaining passenger safety.
The majority of TSA employees are working unpaid, she adds, and many of our operations are impacted by Democrats in Congress who refuse to fund the federal government.
The Department of Homeland Security is the parent agency of the Transportation Security Institute. Of the 64,130 employees of the agency, about 61,000 must stay on duty during the shutdown. Airports nationwide will soon be able to view the video, the Department announced on Friday.
When asked for comment, a DHS spokesperson reiterated some of the points made in Noem’s video.
It’s regrettable that political scheming has placed our employees in this predicament. Speakingswoman Tricia McLaughlin expressed the hope that Democrats would soon understand the significance of opening the government.
