The state Department of Transportation will not play in Hawaii’s airports a Trump administration video that blames Democrats for the ongoing federal shutdown.
In the approximately 30-second video, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says Democrats are responsible for the shutdown — and for any travel disruptions that may result.
The video has been banned in more than a dozen major and regional airports including in New York, Chicago, Portland, Ore., Seattle, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
“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 and most of our TSA employees are working without pay.”
State Transportation Director Ed Sniffen wrote Tuesday in a statement to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that, “We have informed TSA that our airports will only play videos in the TSA area that help our passengers get through the checkpoint safely and efficiently to TSA security standards. This helps TSA keep our airports and airways safe while considering the passenger experience throughout. As the subject video does not contribute to safety and efficiency, we have not aired it at our Hawaii airports.”
Earlier Tuesday, state Reps. Darius Kila, (D, Nanakuli-Maili) and Tyson K. Miyake, (D, Wailuku-Waikapu) — who respectively serve as chair and vice chair of the House Transportation Committee — wrote to Sniffen that federal and state law and Hawaii’s Constitution include language designed to ensure “that all communications across our transportation network remain focused on public service, safety, and transparency, not political influence. Upholding neutrality protects the integrity of the Department’s operations and maintains public confidence in the essential work of our transportation professionals.”
The shutdown is the result of an impasse in Congress over a spending bill to keep the government open. Republicans and Democrats continue to spar over expiring health insurance tax credits, with no end to the impasse in sight. Republicans want Democrats to first agree to end the shutdown, and then negotiate a health care deal; Democrats say they won’t agree without a deal on the tax credits on the table first.
The previous — and longest government shutdown of 35 days — happened during President Donald Trump’s first term when Democrats refused to fund his wall on the border with Mexico.
Just like now, TSA agents and air traffic controllers were forced to work without pay, which already has led many of them to again call in sick, causing flight delays and cancellations across the country.
Kila and Miyake cited a report in The Oregonian newspaper that Port of Portland officials decided not to air Noem’s video because it could violate the federal Hatch Act and Oregon law designed to bar “the use of public assets and employees for partisan or political purposes,” they said. “The Port cited both legal and ethical obligations to maintain neutrality in the use of government facilities and employee time.”
Later Tuesday, Kila called Sniffen’s position “good to hear. He let me know, so it’s good to know it’s confirmed.”
Kila saw Noem’s video when he landed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Oct. 6 to attend the Native Hawaiian Convention.
It had been removed by the time Kila flew back to Honolulu on Oct. 9.
“It was her comments about a partisan divide that was the large concern,” he said. “This is a public resource and they’re making it a partisan resource.”
Source: The Garden Island