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A number of prominent international air travel hubs across the United States, among them Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in North Carolina, have opted to block a video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that attributes responsibility to Democrats for the current government closure from playing at their screening locations.

Legal Concerns Raised by Aviation Officials

Airport authorities in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester, New York have declined to broadcast the footage at security checkpoints, stating that the clearly partisan content could contravene state and federal law, including the Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from engaging in political campaigning.

“Democratic legislators refuse to support funding for the U.S. government, and because of this, many of our functions are impacted, and most of our TSA staff are unpaid,” the Secretary said in the announcement.

The Port of Portland Reaction

The Portland airport authority clarified that it “would not agree to displaying the video in its present version, as we maintain the Hatch Act explicitly forbids use of public assets for political purposes.” It added that state regulations in Oregon bars public employees from promoting or opposing any political party and that consenting to broadcast this content would break state law.

Harry Reid International Position

The Harry Reid airport also declined to display the security announcement on similar grounds, saying in a statement that “the video's message contained partisan statements that did not align with the neutral, educational purpose of the public service announcements typically displayed at checkpoint screens” and also referenced the federal act.

Understanding the Hatch Act Regulations

The Hatch Act is a federal law that prohibits partisan actions by federal employees to guarantee that public services remain unbiased.

Further Authority Responses

• Phoenix Sky Harbor international airport stated that it “declined to post the PSA” to stay “in line with airport policy,” which prohibits partisan material.
• The Port of Seattle, which manages Sea-Tac airport, also declined, citing “the partisan tone of the video.”
• Charlotte airport clarified that state municipal law and the airport’s policy for digital content “do not permit the video in question.” The authority also noted that the TSA lacks ownership of any screens at its checkpoints and that its limited digital screens are reserved for wayfinding, flight updates, and paid advertisements.

Westchester Criticism

The county, in a public comment, described the video “unacceptable, improper, and out of line with the values we expect from our nation’s top public officials.”

“The PSA politicizes the impacts of a federal government shutdown on TSA operations,” the county leader said, adding that the message was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “undermines public trust.”

Homeland Security Reply

A DHS official, Tricia McLaughlin, echoed the Secretary's language to blame “political gamesmanship” in a response, stating that “Democrats will soon recognize the importance of reopening the government.”

Cross-Party Calls for Resolution

The Port of Seattle commented that it continued to “encourage cooperative actions to resolve the federal closure” and was working to find ways to assist federal employees working without pay during the shutdown.