Texas airports among those that won’t show video blaming Democrats for government shutdown – Houston Public Media
Travelers make their way to their gates at DFW International Airport in this 2023 file photo. (Yfat Yossifor | KERA)
Airports in Corpus Christi, Dallas and San Antonio are among a growing list of airports nationwide that won’t show a video of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem blaming Democrats for flight delays due to the ongoing government shutdown.
It was unclear Wednesday whether Houston’s two major airports — Bush Intercontinental Airport and Hobby Airport — are displaying the video. Neither the office of Houston Mayor John Whitmire nor the Houston Airport System, which operates under the umbrella of the municipal government, have responded to inquiries about their potential use of Noem’s message. A Houston Public Media reporter did not see the video at Hobby Airport while stationed near the security lines on Wednesday morning.
Dallas Love Field and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport are not showing the video. Neither are airports in Austin, Corpus Christi and San Antonio, according to The Texas Tribune, which reported the video is being displayed at the TSA security checkpoint at El Paso International Airport.
The shutdown, which is entering its third week, has impacted air travel, causing flight delays and cancellations at airports across the country.
The video, labeled as a “public service announcement,” was released last week and first obtained by Fox News.
“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.”
In a statement to KERA, Zachary Greiner, a spokesperson for DFW, said it is not displaying the video “consistent with the airport’s longstanding policy.”
Greiner referred to the airport’s advertising policy, adopted in 2005, which prohibits “political, social and religious advertising” in any of its public facilities.
“The Airport is not a public forum, and it is the intent of the Airport Board not to designate the Airport’s advertising facilities as a public forum for the dissemination, debate or discussion of political, social or religious issues,” the policy reads.
Patrick Clarke, a spokesperson for Dallas’ city-owned Love Field airport, said its policy prohibits displaying the video for the same reasons.
“All received requests must comply with airport advertising policies, and the policy prohibits political or issue-oriented content,” Clarke said.
Clarke added that all requests for terminal displays require an approved activity permit application.
“Our team has not received an application for the video request,” he said.
Other major airports that have said they won’t show the video include LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, according to CNN.
Houston Public Media’s Thomas Perumean contributed to this report.
Pablo Arauz Peña is KERA’s growth and infrastructure reporter. Got a tip? Email Pablo at [email protected].
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