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Government shutdown leaves thousands of Bay Area workers furloughed
Federal workers in the Bay Area said they received emails Wednesday morning informing them they would be furloughed due to a "lack of funds," and asking for them to conduct an "orderly shutdown."
SAN FRANCISCO - All three Bay Area airports are refusing to display a video featuring Homeland Security Kristi Noem, blaming congressional Democrats for the government shutdown and any related travel delays.
Officials who oversee the airports said the video could violate internal policies that prohibit political messaging.
Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose decline
What we know:
Representatives for Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose airports all said that they would not be playing the video. They join airports in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Seattle and Cleveland that have made similar decisions.
Legal concerns raised
Big picture view:
Airport officials also said the video could violate state or federal laws that prohibit the use of public resources for political activity.
Various government agencies, in emails to workers and on websites, have adopted language that blames Democrats for the shutdown, with some experts arguing it could be in violation of the 1939 Hatch Act, which restricts certain political activities by federal employees.
The shutdown has halted routine operations and left airports scrambling with flight disruptions. Democrats say any deal to reopen the government has to address their health care demands, and Republicans say they won’t negotiate until they agree to fund the government. Insurance premiums would double if Congress fails to renew the subsidy payments that expire Dec. 31.
In the video, Noem says that TSA’s "top priority" is to help make travel pleasant and efficient while keeping passengers safe.
"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," she continues.
The Transportation Security Administration falls under the Department of Homeland Security. Roughly 61,000 of the agency’s 64,130 employees are required to continue working during the shutdown. The Department said Friday that the video is being rolled out to airports across the country.
A DHS spokeswoman responded to a request for comment restating some of the message from Noem’s video.
Adriana Gomez Licon of the Associated Press contributed to this report.