Gavin Newsom has accused Kristi Noem of breaking the law with her Transportation Security Administration video, adding that airports in his state should resist the agency’s “pressure” to play it.
The California governor on Thursday claimed Noem’s video blaming Democrats for the ongoing government shutdown was a blatant violation of the Hatch Act, which restricts some political activities of federal workers.
In a letter to California airport operators, Newsom’s legal affairs secretary added that while “all California-based airports recently confirmed to our office that they are not airing the message from video monitors that they control,” TSA “is currently putting pressure on airports to run the message.”
“Our office strongly urges you to hold firm and avoid being complicit in facilitating a clear violation of federal law,” David Sapp wrote.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House and the TSA for comment.
Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said it was the TSA’s top priority to ensure that travelers have a safe and efficient airport experience.
“However, Democrats in Congress refuse to fund the federal government, and because of this, most of our TSA employees are working without pay. While this creates challenges for our people, our security operations remain largely unimpacted at this time,” she said
Noem released her video about ten days into the shutdown, which is occurring amid GOP control of the presidency and both chambers of Congress.
“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, similar to how many federal government websites have put up banners faulting the minority party.
But those words aren’t being heard by some airline passengers in California. Airports in many other states have also chosen not to play it.
A spokesperson for Nevada’s Harry Reid International Airport, for instance, told CNN that the video had “political messaging that did not align with the neutral, informational nature of the public service announcements typically shown at the security checkpoints.”
Molly Prescott, a spokesperson for Portland, Oregon’s international airport, explained, “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.”
As of Wednesday, per CNN, at least 27 airports aren’t showing Noem’s video.
