Milwaukee Mitchell will not show DHS video that blames Democrats for government shutdown
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- As the federal government shutdown wears on, Milwaukee Mitchell Airport -and others across the country- are not playing a video that blames Democrats.
The shutdown has lasted for more than two weeks, and there appears to be no end in sight. Lawmakers and politicians from both sides of the aisle are trying to apply pressure to force a resolution.
The administration is blaming the shutdown on Democrats. But some observers are concerned some of those actions violate federal law.
The Hatch Act ensures federal programs are administered in a nonpartisan manner.
The organization Public Citizen has filed a dozen complaints since the shutdown began.
The latest focuses on a video the Department of Homeland Security wants played at airports.
Milwaukee Mitchell is not playing it, nor are several other major airports.
Dr. Craig Holman is a government affairs lobbyist with Public Citizen. He said the video, "Makes the same partisan message but does it in a far more egregious manner."
Holman said of all the complaints he's filed against the Trump administration, he feels the DHS video is the most obvious.
In the video, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said, "It is TSA's top priority to make sure you have the most pleasant and efficient airport experience as possible while we keep you safe. However, Democrats in Congress refuse to fund the federal government."
Holman said, "It plays upon fear that's already among many flyers, and it does it for a sheer partisan gain."
He added, "This is the first time I've ever seen an entirely systemwide, coordinated violation of the Hatch Act."
Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport is operated by Milwaukee County.
A spokesperson for the airport told us they are not displaying any videos from the federal government, saying "Milwaukee County Ordinance prohibits the display of any political messages in County buildings. Therefore, any requests to display political content in the Airport are denied."
Several other airports across the country are also refusing to show the video, including in Madison, Chicago, Atlanta, Phoenix, and Seattle.
The video is one of several examples of federal departments blaming Democrats for the shutdown, including the websites for DHS, Housing and Urban Development, the Small Business Administration, the White House's website, and others.
The Hatch Act is enforced solely by the Office of the Special Counsel. But Holman says he was told they've all but closed up shop because of the shutdown.
Still, he hopes the public discussion is enough to deter other agencies from taking similar actions. "It's actually spread the furthest we've ever seen in history, by twelve agencies now."
At Mitchell, TSA owns and operates the monitors at screening checkpoints. We reached out to TSA for clarity on whether the video would be shown there, but they did not respond.