Salt Lake City International Airport refuses to air Kristi Noem video blaming Democrats for government shutdown

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A new Department of Homeland Security video blaming the current government shutdown on Democrats will not be airing at the Salt Lake City International Airport.

Airports across the country are refusing to play a video of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem warning passengers of potential changes to airport operations caused by staffing limitations and TSA workers not receiving pay during the ongoing government shutdown.

“It is TSA’s top priority 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.”

Many airports, including Salt Lake City International, have responded by declining to air the video, citing state law.

According to Nancy Volmer, the director of marketing and communications for the Salt Lake City International Airport, Utah law prohibits “any municipal employee or officer from using city-owned equipment for political activity.”

“Since the airport owns and operates the monitors, we are prohibited from airing political messages on them,” Volmer told ABC4.com.

In a statement to ABC4.com, DHS said the following:

“It is TSA’s top priority to ensure that travelers have the most safe, pleasant and efficient airport experience possible. 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. It’s unfortunate our workforce has been put in this position due to political gamesmanship. Our hope is that Democrats will soon recognize the importance of opening the government.”

The Hill contributed to this reporting.