{"id":10465,"date":"2025-10-17T23:06:07","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T23:06:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/10465\/"},"modified":"2025-10-17T23:06:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T23:06:07","slug":"city-says-it-refuses-to-show-video-of-dhs-secretarys-political-message-at-long-beach-airport-daily-breeze","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/10465\/","title":{"rendered":"City says it refuses to show video of DHS secretary\u2019s political message at Long Beach Airport \u2013 Daily Breeze"},"content":{"rendered":"

Long Beach Airport has joined several others across the country<\/a> in\u00a0refusing 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.<\/p>\n

City officials said the municipal airport will not play the video because of its political content \u2014 which they said would violate state and federal laws.<\/p>\n

The request and video came in on Thursday, Oct. 9, according to city spokesperson Kevin Lee.<\/p>\n

In the video, Noem says that it\u2019s TSA\u2019s \u201ctop priority\u201d to make travel pleasant and efficient while keeping passengers safe.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, 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,\u201d Noem says in the video<\/a>. \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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 \u2014 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\u2019t support the bill unless Republicans agree to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits that are set to expire at year\u2019s end.<\/p>\n

Some medical insurance premiums would double if Congress fails to renew the subsidy payments that expire Dec. 31.<\/p>\n

Airports in New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas, Charlotte, Phoenix, Seattle and elsewhere have said the video\u2019s content goes against their policies or regulations prohibiting political messaging in their facilities.<\/p>\n

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 \u2014 specifically, the 1939 federal Hatch Act, which restricts certain political activities by federal employees \u2013 and may infringe on First Amendment protections, Lee said.<\/p>\n

DHS, for its part, restated Noem\u2019s message in an emailed statement on Friday and said that security operations remain largely unimpacted at this time.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s unfortunate our workforce has been put in this position due to political gamesmanship,\u201d spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said. \u201cOur hope is that Democrats will soon recognize the importance of opening the government.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson described the video as a \u201cpolitical ad\u201d that blamed Democrats for the government shutdown, which was inappropriate, illegal and didn\u2019t reflect what the city stands for.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Long Beach, we come together and we don\u2019t play that,\u201d Richardson said in a video statement<\/a> on Wednesday, Oct. 15. \u201cWhile Washington shuts down, we\u2019re 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Thursday, Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Long Beach, applauded the city and Long Beach Airport\u2019s decision to reject showing Noem\u2019s video.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe video message violates federal and state laws, and is a clear effort to use government resources for President Trump\u2019s personal and political vendettas,\u201d Garcia said in a written statement. \u201cAs the Ranking Member of the Oversight Committee, we have also launched an investigation into Secretary Noem\u2019s actions and the deliberate misuse of taxpayer dollars and government resources for blatant political purposes. We will hold the Trump Administration accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n

The shutdown has disrupted routine operations at some airports<\/a>, leading to flight delays, but Long Beach Airport continues running smoothly with no disruptions to flights or passenger services, officials said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur staff and partners are maintaining regular operations, and we remain in close communication with our federal counterparts to stay informed as the situation develops,\u201d said Lindsey Phillips, spokesperson for the Long Beach Airport. \u201cWhile there are no delays or impacts at this time, operations could become more challenging if the shutdown continues.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Associated Press contributed to this report.<\/p>\n

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