Airports throughout the country — including in Portland — have refused to show a public service announcement from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, in which she blames Democrats for the federal government shutdown.
However, the video is playing at the Eugene Airport, at a single monitor tucked into the airport’s Transportation Security Administration checkpoint.
“It is TSA’s top priority to make sure that you have the most pleasant and efficient airport experience as possible while we keep you safe,” Noem says in the video. “However, Democrats in Congress refuse to fund the federal government, and because of this, many of our operations are impacted.”
Andrew Martz, the assistant director of the Eugene Airport, said the airport has no control over the content displayed on the TSA monitor.
“TSA independently operates the security checkpoint with its own equipment. This includes the video monitor at the checkpoint,” Martz wrote in a statement. “The content shown on this monitor is under the control of the TSA — not the city of Eugene.”
Martz said airports such as Portland International Airport have control of their video screens and can refuse to play the Noem video.
“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,” Molly Prescott, spokesperson for the Port of Portland, told CNN.
The Hatch Act is a federal law passed in 1939, limiting the political activities of federal employees to ensure programs are administered in a nonpartisan fashion.

