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A number of prominent international airports across the America, among them Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in North Carolina, have chosen to block a video from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that faults Democratic lawmakers for the current government closure from playing at their checkpoint areas.

Legal Issues Raised by Aviation Authorities

Airport officials in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, and Westchester County have refused to show the footage at screening areas, stating that the overtly political messaging could violate federal and state regulations, such as the Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from engaging in partisan actions.

“Congressional Democrats refuse to support funding for the U.S. government, and as a result, many of our activities are affected, and most of our TSA employees are not receiving wages,” Noem remarked in the announcement.

The Port of Portland Reaction

The Portland airport authority explained that it “would not agree to displaying the video in its current form, as we consider the federal law explicitly forbids use of public assets for political aims.” The port further stated that Oregon law prohibits public employees from supporting or criticizing any party affiliation and that agreeing to play this video would violate Oregon law.

Las Vegas Position

Las Vegas's Harry Reid International Airport also declined to display the security announcement on similar grounds, stating in a statement that “the video's message included partisan statements that was inconsistent with the neutral, educational purpose of the public service announcements typically displayed at checkpoint screens” and also cited the Hatch Act.

Explaining the Hatch Act Regulations

The Hatch Act of 1939 is a U.S. law that prohibits partisan actions by federal employees to ensure that public services stay non-partisan.

Additional Airport Rejections

• Phoenix Sky Harbor airport explained that it “refused to display the video” to stay “consistent with airport policy,” which does not allow partisan material.
• The Port of Seattle, which manages Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, also declined, pointing to “the partisan tone of the content.”
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport said 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 does not own any screens at its security areas and that its limited digital screens are designated for directions, travel information, and paid advertisements.

Westchester Objection

Westchester County, in a public comment, described the PSA “unacceptable, unacceptable, and inconsistent with the values we anticipate from our nation’s top public officials.”

“The public service announcement politicizes the effects of a federal government shutdown on TSA operations,” the county executive stated, noting that the tone was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “erodes customer confidence.”

DHS Response

A Department of Homeland Security official, Tricia McLaughlin, repeated Noem’s wording to attribute fault to “political gamesmanship” in a statement, adding that “Democratic leaders will shortly recognize the importance of reopening the government.”

Bipartisan Appeals for Solution

The Port of Seattle said that it continued to “encourage cooperative actions to resolve the government shutdown” and was striving to identify methods to support federal employees unpaid during the shutdown.