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Several prominent global air travel hubs across the US, such as Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in North Carolina, have chosen to prevent a video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that attributes responsibility to Democratic lawmakers for the ongoing government closure from being shown at their checkpoint areas.

Legal Concerns Cited by Airport Officials

Airport authorities in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester, New York have refused to display the video content at screening areas, stating that the political statements could violate state and federal law, such as the Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from engaging in political campaigning.

“Democrats in Congress refuse to fund the federal government, and as a result, many of our activities are impacted, and most of our Transportation Security Administration workers are unpaid,” the Secretary said in the video.

Portland Reaction

The Port of Portland clarified that it “would not agree to playing the PSA in its present version, as we consider the federal law clearly prohibits use of public assets for partisan messaging.” The port further stated that Oregon law prohibits government staff from promoting or opposing any political party and that consenting to broadcast this content would violate Oregon law.

Harry Reid International Statement

The Harry Reid airport also refused to show the security announcement on similar grounds, stating in a release that “its content included political messaging that did not align with the impartial, informational nature of the PSAs usually displayed at security checkpoints” and also cited the federal act.

Understanding the Hatch Act Regulations

The Hatch Act of 1939 is a federal law that prohibits political activities by federal employees to guarantee that government programs remain non-partisan.

Additional Airport Rejections

• Phoenix airport airport explained that it “refused to display the PSA” to remain “consistent with airport guidelines,” which does not allow partisan material.
• The Port of Seattle, which manages Sea-Tac airport, also refused, citing “the political nature of the content.”
• Charlotte airport clarified that North Carolina municipal law and the airport’s policy for digital content “do not allow the referenced video.” The authority also noted that the TSA does not own any monitors at its security areas and that its few digital screens are reserved for directions, flight updates, and paid advertisements.

Westchester County Objection

Westchester County, in a public comment, described the video “unacceptable, unacceptable, and inconsistent with the values we expect from our federal leaders.”

“The public service announcement makes political the impacts of a government closure on security operations,” the county executive said, adding that the tone was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “undermines customer confidence.”

DHS Reply

A Department of Homeland Security official, Tricia McLaughlin, echoed the Secretary's wording to attribute fault to “partisan tactics” in a statement, adding that “Democratic leaders will soon recognize the significance of reopening the federal government.”

Cross-Party Appeals for Solution

The Seattle authority commented that it continued to “encourage bipartisan efforts to end the government shutdown” and was striving to identify methods to support federal employees working without pay during the shutdown.