Travelers at Philadelphia International Airport will not see a video made by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that casts blame on Democrats for possible flight delays related to the ongoing government shutdown in Washington.
The DHS video was made to be at screened Transportation Security Administration checkpoints, where workers have remained on the job despite most employees not getting paid for their work during the now two-week shutdown.
"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."
A number of airports have chosen not to display the video due to the political tone of Noem's message, which fits a theme of the Trump administration openly blaming Democrats for the shutdown in messages posted on government websites and in emails sent to the public.
"The City of Philadelphia Department of Aviation, owner and operator of Philadelphia International Airport, does not accept or display materials that are political in nature in its facilities," airport spokesperson Heather Redfern said Tuesday.
Airports in Los Angeles, Cleveland, Phoenix, Portland and Buffalo are among the others that will not show Noem's video in their facilities, the Washington Post reported Monday. Officials at the airports said the video may violate internal policies that prohibit political messages and could break state and federal laws banning the use of public resources for political activity.
It's not uncommon for TSA to show informational videos at security checkpoints to inform travelers about rules and upcoming changes to security procedures. For publicly owned airports, which rely on federal funding for key functions, pressure to display political messaging could put employees in compromising positions, Rob Britton, a former American Airlines executive, told the Post.
During the government shutdown this month, mounting U.S. travel delays and flight cancelations have been attributed to a combination of bad weather and a shortage of air traffic controllers at some airports. On Monday, FlightAware said there were 8,225 delays of flights within, into or out of the United States and 593 flight cancelations. Nationwide delays have stayed within a typical daily range, according to travel website Afar, but flight cancelations have crept higher than the roughly 1% of all flights — about 250 daily — that get cut on average most days.
Redfern said the airport in Philly has been spared the worst of the shutdown, which has caused ground delays at Newark Liberty International Airport and other major airports due to staffing shortages.
"The FAA has not issued staff-related delays for PHL," Redfern said Tuesday afternoon. "The wait times for TSA checkpoints across the airport are currently 10 minutes or less."
On Friday, President Donald Trump warned that layoffs of federal workers during the shutdown would be "Democrat-oriented" firings, but he did not explain how the administration would determine which jobs fit that description.
Republicans controll the White House and both chambers of Congress, but a 60-vote majority is needed in the Senate to pass a spending bill.
Negotiations have sputtered as lawmakers battle over a key sticking point. Democrats have pushed to extend expiring provisions of the Affordable Care Act that were increased during the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce out-of-pocket health care costs and monthly premiums for eligible Americans. Some Republicans contend that issue can be addressed in separate legislation by the end of the year, while others are concerned it will become a liability in next year's midterm elections if left unresolved.
The nation's longest government shutdown took place during Trump's first term, when a funding lapse lasted 35 days from Dec. 22, 2018, to Jan. 25, 2019.
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