Airports in at least four U.S. cities have declined to play a video blaming Democrats for the government shutdown.
The video, which began playing at airports last week, featured Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem warning travelers of impacts to Transportation Security Administration operations because "Democrats in Congress refuse to fund the federal government." Representatives for airports in Charlotte, Phoenix, Portland and Seattle told USA TODAY they would not play the video.
Kara Hansen, a spokesperson for the Port of Portland, said they received a request from TSA to play the video, but "we did not consent to playing the video in its current form, as we believe the Hatch Act clearly prohibits use of public assets for political purposes and messaging."
"Additionally, Oregon law states no public employee can promote or oppose any political committee, party, or affiliation," the email continued. "We believe consenting to playing this video on Port assets would violate Oregon law."
The Hatch Act limits certain political activities by federal employees – and some at the local level who work with programs that use federal funds – according to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel.
