Controversial TSA Video Has BWI Airport Caught In Middle

LINTHICUM, MD — A controversial video blaming Democrats for the federal government shutdown is not being played at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, reports said.

BWI joins a growing list of airports that deemed the video too political to immediately air. BWI is conducting a legal review before making a final decision on whether the video will ever get screen time at the airport.

The video comes from Kristi Noem, secretary of Homeland Security, which oversees the Transportation Security Administration.

"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 said in the video, according to The Baltimore Banner. "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. We will continue to do all that we can to avoid delays that will impact your travel, and our hope is that Democrats will soon recognize the importance of opening the government."

The Associated Press said airports in New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas, Charlotte, Phoenix, Seattle and more say the video violates their regulations on political messaging.

The AP reported that some experts think the video may violate the 1939 Hatch Act, which restricts certain political activities by federal employees.

"The Hatch Act is a big one for all airports. And so we’re just really still in that evaluation process. Once we get something of determination, then we’ll make a decision on whether or not we’re posting or not," Shannetta Griffin, director and CEO of the Maryland Aviation Administration, told The Banner.

BWI Airport's legal team is evaluating the video and hopes to have a final determination in the coming days, Griffin told The Banner.

The AP said roughly 61,000 of TSA's 64,130 employees must continue working during the shutdown.

Griffin told The Banner that around 800 federal employees work at BWI, but they are not getting paid.

Anne Arundel County Council member Pete Smith (D-District 1) represents BWI Airport.

Smith told the Capital Gazette he's glad the airport is avoiding the video.

"I think having them focus on routes and planes and safety and logistics is the best thing they can do and should be doing," Smith told the Capital Gazette. "[I’m] grateful that the airport has chosen to just ignore all of the distractions and just focus on what their primary responsibility is, and that’s getting passengers to and from their destinations."