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Several major global airports across the United States, such as Phoenix Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in NC, have opted to prevent a public service announcement from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that blames Democratic lawmakers for the ongoing government closure from playing at their security checkpoints.

Regulatory Issues Raised by Aviation Authorities

Airport officials in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester, New York have declined to display the video content at screening areas, stating that the overtly political messaging could violate federal and state regulations, such as the Hatch Act of 1939, which forbids government workers from engaging in political campaigning.

“Democrats in Congress refuse to fund the U.S. government, and because of this, many of our functions are impacted, and most of our TSA staff are unpaid,” the Secretary remarked in the announcement.

Portland Reaction

The Portland airport authority clarified that it “did not consent to displaying the video in its current form, as we maintain the Hatch Act explicitly forbids utilization of government resources for political aims.” The port further stated that state regulations in Oregon bars government staff from supporting or criticizing any political party and that consenting to play this video would violate Oregon law.

Harry Reid International Position

The Harry Reid International Airport also declined to show the TSA video on similar grounds, noting in a release that “its content contained partisan statements that did not align with the neutral, educational purpose of the public service announcements typically shown at checkpoint screens” and also cited the federal act.

Understanding the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act is a federal law that forbids partisan actions by government employees to guarantee that public services remain non-partisan.

Additional Authority Rejections

• Phoenix airport airport explained that it “refused to post the video” to remain “in line with airport policy,” which prohibits political content.
• The Port of Seattle, which manages Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, also declined, pointing to “the political nature of the content.”
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport clarified that North Carolina municipal law and the airport's rules for screen content “do not allow the referenced video.” The airport also noted that the TSA lacks ownership of any monitors at its checkpoints and that its limited digital screens are reserved for directions, travel information, and paid advertisements.

Westchester County Objection

Westchester County, in a public comment, called the video “inappropriate, improper, and out of line with the values we expect from our federal leaders.”

“The public service announcement politicizes the effects of a government closure on security operations,” the county leader said, noting that the message was “overly alarming” and “erodes customer confidence.”

Homeland Security Reply

A DHS assistant secretary, an agency representative, echoed Noem’s wording to blame “partisan tactics” in a response, adding that “Democratic leaders will shortly realize the significance of reopening the federal government.”

Bipartisan Appeals for Solution

The Port of Seattle commented that it continued to “urge cooperative actions to end the government shutdown” and was striving to find ways to support federal employees unpaid during the shutdown.