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Several prominent global airports across the United States, among them Phoenix Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in North Carolina, have opted to restrict a public service announcement from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that faults Democrats for the ongoing government closure from airing at their checkpoint areas.

Legal Concerns Cited by Airport Authorities

Aviation administrators in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, and Westchester County have declined to show the video content at security checkpoints, stating that the overtly political messaging could violate federal and state regulations, such as the Hatch Act of 1939, which bars federal employees from participating in political campaigning.

“Democrats in Congress refuse to finance the U.S. government, and because of this, many of our activities are affected, and most of our Transportation Security Administration employees are not receiving wages,” the Secretary stated in the video.

The Port of Portland Response

The Portland airport authority noted that it “would not agree to displaying the video in its current form, as we believe the Hatch Act clearly prohibits use of public assets for political purposes.” It added that state regulations in Oregon prohibits public employees from supporting or criticizing any political party and that agreeing to play this content would break Oregon law.

Las Vegas Statement

The Harry Reid International Airport also declined to display the security announcement on comparable reasons, saying in a release that “its content included partisan statements that did not align with the impartial, educational nature of the PSAs typically displayed at checkpoint screens” and also referenced the federal act.

Understanding the Hatch Act

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

Further Authority Responses

• Phoenix airport international airport stated that it “declined to display the video” to remain “in line with airport policy,” which does not allow political content.
• The Port of Seattle, which manages Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, similarly refused, citing “the political nature of the video.”
• Charlotte airport clarified that state local regulations and the airport's rules for digital content “do not permit the referenced video.” The authority also added that the TSA does not own any screens at its checkpoints and that its limited digital screens are designated for directions, flight updates, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester Objection

The county, in a statement, described the video “inappropriate, improper, and inconsistent with the values we anticipate from our federal leaders.”

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

DHS Response

A Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, an agency representative, repeated Noem’s wording to blame “political gamesmanship” in a statement, adding that “Democratic leaders will shortly realize the importance of opening the federal government.”

Bipartisan Calls for Resolution

The Port of Seattle commented that it continued to “encourage cooperative actions to resolve the government shutdown” and was working to identify ways to support government workers unpaid during the shutdown.