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Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D–Mass.) faced pushback from Boston’s Logan Airport after claiming that runway operations had come to a standstill due to the government shutdown. Pressley, a leading member of 'The Squad' group of far-left reps, took to X to blame Republicans for the ongoing shutdown, and alleged that it was hampering the daily operations of Logan Airport. 'Delays, cancellations, & long lines,' the Massachusetts congresswoman wrote on Wednesday. 'The GOP shutdown is impacting our airports and leaving air traffic controllers & TSA agents without pay, including at Boston Logan. Republicans need to reopen the government, pay federal workers, keep our airports running & skies safe.' Although it is true that air traffic controllers at Logan were not paid on Tuesday because of the shutdown, Massachusetts transportation officials said the airport's operations were unaffected. Jennifer Mehigan, a spokeswoman for Massport, the port authority that manages the airport, said in a statement that officials 'havent seen any impacts at Logan.' 'We will put out messaging on our social accounts notifying the public if we see any changes,' Mehigan told the Boston Herald. The outlet cited flight data that showed there has not been any significant increase to travel delays since the shutdown began on October 1. The statement from Massport that rejected Pressley's claim comes weeks after the Massachusetts port authority also criticized the Trump administration for its handling of the shutdown. As the shutdown began, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem created a video to be played at airports around the nation that blamed Democrats for the shutdown. Massport said in response that it would refuse to play the video, and an official said it did not receive any requests to display the clip and had 'no video screens at our TSA checkpoints.' Several other airports also refused to play the video, including Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas which said it rejected the 'political messaging.' Pressley's embarrassing correction from the Massachusetts port authority follows another X tirade from the Democrat that captured headlines earlier this month, as she posted a controversial message about Indigenous Peoples' Day, also known as Columbus Day. 'We are all on stolen land. And while Republicans try to whitewash American history, we acknowledge our country's role in inflicting trauma on our Indigenous neighbors,' the Boston congresswoman wrote on X. She added: 'We'll keep celebrating their contributions, centering Native voices in our policymaking, & building a more just, equitable future.' Pressley quickly faced calls to give up her $1.1 million Martha's Vineyard mansion. 'You should consider giving back your stolen land then - starting with your $1.1 million house on Martha's Vineyard,' wrote right-wing commentator Greg Price. 'So when are you giving your new $1.1 million Martha's Vineyard summer home back to the Wampanoag?' added Gerry Callahan, a conservative pundit. Pressley, who often speaks about inequality and the rights of the poor, and her husband Conan Harris purchased the three-bedroom house on Martha's Vineyard in 2023, as reported by the New York Post. Pressley and Harris, who spent ten years in prison for drug trafficking, also own a two-unit rental property in Mattapan, a low-income area in south Boston, which earned them between $50,000 and $100,000 in 2024. The Democrat owns four rental properties in Massachusetts, which earned her as much as $350,000 in profit in 2024, according to her annual financial disclosure cited by the Post. It's a significant profit increase for Pressley, who in 2020 declared a rental income of just $15,000. Despite her lucrative career as a landlord, the congresswoman has campaigned for taxpayer-funded rent relief.
