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Several major international air travel hubs across the US, such as Phoenix Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in North Carolina, have chosen to block a video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that blames Democrats for the continuing government closure from airing at their security checkpoints.

Regulatory Concerns Cited by Airport Officials

Airport authorities in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Portland, Charlotte, and Westchester, New York have refused to broadcast the footage at screening areas, stating that the overtly political messaging could violate state and federal law, including the Hatch Act of 1939, which bars federal employees from participating in partisan actions.

“Congressional Democrats refuse to support funding for the federal government, and as a result, many of our functions are impacted, and most of our Transportation Security Administration employees are not receiving wages,” the Secretary remarked in the announcement.

The Port of Portland Reaction

The Portland airport authority noted that it “would not agree to playing the video in its present version, as we maintain the Hatch Act clearly prohibits utilization of government resources for political purposes.” It added that state regulations in Oregon prohibits public employees from supporting or criticizing any political party and that consenting to broadcast this video would violate Oregon law.

Harry Reid International Position

Las Vegas's Harry Reid airport also declined to display the TSA video on comparable reasons, noting in a release that “its content included partisan statements that did not align with the impartial, educational nature of the PSAs usually shown at security checkpoints” and also referenced the Hatch Act.

Understanding the Hatch Act Regulations

The Hatch Act of 1939 is a U.S. law that forbids political activities by government employees to guarantee that government programs stay impartial.

Further Airport Responses

• Phoenix airport international airport stated that it “refused to post the PSA” to stay “in line with airport policy,” which does not allow partisan material.
• The Seattle port authority, which operates Sea-Tac airport, similarly declined, pointing to “the partisan tone of the content.”
• Charlotte airport clarified that state municipal law and the airport’s policy for screen content “do not permit the video in question.” The authority also noted that the Transportation Security Administration does not own any screens at its security areas and that its few display monitors are reserved for wayfinding, flight updates, and paid advertisements.

Westchester County Objection

The county, in a statement, called the PSA “unacceptable, unacceptable, and out of line with the standards we anticipate from our nation’s top public officials.”

“The public service announcement makes political the impacts of a government closure on TSA operations,” the county executive stated, noting that the tone was “overly alarming” and “undermines customer confidence.”

Homeland Security Response

A DHS official, Tricia McLaughlin, repeated Noem’s wording to attribute fault to “political gamesmanship” in a response, stating that “Democratic leaders will shortly realize the significance of reopening the government.”

Cross-Party Appeals for Solution

The Port of Seattle said that it continued to “encourage cooperative actions to resolve the government shutdown” and was striving to find ways to support government workers working without pay during the shutdown.