Major airports in New England are not playing a
TSA video featuring Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem in which she levels blame against Congressional Democrats for the government shutdown and any attendant travel delays, officials said.
The
Massachusetts Port Authority, which oversees Logan and two other airports in the state, is not running the video, and has not received a request by the Department of Homeland Security to do so, said Jennifer Mehigan, spokeswoman for Massport. She noted that TSA checkpoints at the facilities do not have video screens to display the video.
“The video is not being played at our airports,” Mehigan said in an email Tuesday. “Besides, there are no video screens at our TSA checkpoints.”
In addition to Logan, Massport runs Worcester Regional Airport and Hanscom Field in Bedford,
according to the agency’s website.
T.F. Green International Airport in Warwick, R.I., and Bradley International Airport in Hartford, Conn., are also not playing the video, officials said.
Several airports around the country have declined to run the video, citing the political nature of its content,
the Washington Post reported.
“We believe the Hatch Act clearly prohibits use of public assets for political purposes and messaging,” Molly Prescott, a spokesperson for the Port of Portland,
told the Post.
Governor Maura Healey said Tuesday that it’s on the Trump administration and Republicans who hold majorities in Congress to reopen the federal government.
“Secretary Noem is a walking violation of the Hatch Act, as are so many members of the Trump administration,” Healey said when asked about the TSA video. “I mean, day after day. It’s unbelievable. It’s outrageous.”
Mehigan said that while Massport has not received a request to air the video, TSA at Logan likely received a request.