Long Beach Airport has joined several others across the country in refusing to play a video with a message from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in which she blames Democrats for the government shutdown and its impacts on Transportation Security Administration operations.
City officials said the municipal airport will not play the video because of its political content — which they said would violate state and federal laws.
The request and video came in on Thursday, Oct. 9, according to city spokesperson Kevin Lee.
In the video, Noem says that it’s TSA’s “top priority” to 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,” Noem says in the video. “We will continue to do all that we can to avoid delays that will impact your travel. And our hope is that Democrats will soon recognize the importance of opening the government.”
Noem is the Homeland Security Department chief for President Donald Trump, whose Republican Party also controls the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate — though without enough members in the upper chamber to meet the 60-vote threshold needed to pass a budget bill. Democratic Party leadership has said they won’t support the bill unless Republicans agree to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits that are set to expire at year’s end.
Some medical insurance premiums would double if Congress fails to renew the subsidy payments that expire Dec. 31.
Airports in New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas, Charlotte, Phoenix, Seattle and elsewhere have said the video’s content goes against their policies or regulations prohibiting political messaging in their facilities.
Long Beach has now joined that chorus. After the city reviewed the video and had a preliminary understanding that, because of its political content, it would violate California and U.S. law — specifically, the 1939 federal Hatch Act, which restricts certain political activities by federal employees – and may infringe on First Amendment protections, Lee said.
DHS, for its part, restated Noem’s message in an emailed statement on Friday and said that security operations remain largely unimpacted at this time.
“It’s unfortunate our workforce has been put in this position due to political gamesmanship,” spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said. “Our hope is that Democrats will soon recognize the importance of opening the government.”
But Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson described the video as a “political ad” that blamed Democrats for the government shutdown, which was inappropriate, illegal and didn’t reflect what the city stands for.
“In Long Beach, we come together and we don’t play that,” Richardson said in a video statement on Wednesday, Oct. 15. “While Washington shuts down, we’re stepping up, keeping our services running, protecting our residents and supporting our workers. What we need from our federal government right now is cooperation, not division.”
On Thursday, Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Long Beach, applauded the city and Long Beach Airport’s decision to reject showing Noem’s video.
“The video message violates federal and state laws, and is a clear effort to use government resources for President Trump’s personal and political vendettas,” Garcia said in a written statement. “As the Ranking Member of the Oversight Committee, we have also launched an investigation into Secretary Noem’s actions and the deliberate misuse of taxpayer dollars and government resources for blatant political purposes. We will hold the Trump Administration accountable.”
The shutdown has disrupted routine operations at some airports, leading to flight delays, but Long Beach Airport continues running smoothly with no disruptions to flights or passenger services, officials said.
“Our staff and partners are maintaining regular operations, and we remain in close communication with our federal counterparts to stay informed as the situation develops,” said Lindsey Phillips, spokesperson for the Long Beach Airport. “While there are no delays or impacts at this time, operations could become more challenging if the shutdown continues.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.