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Several major international airports across the United States, among them Phoenix Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in NC, have chosen to prevent a public service announcement from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that blames Democratic lawmakers for the current government closure from being shown at their screening locations.

Legal Concerns Raised by Airport Authorities

Aviation administrators in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester, New York have refused to display the footage at security checkpoints, stating that the clearly partisan content could breach state and federal law, such as the Hatch Act, which forbids federal employees from participating in political campaigning.

“Congressional Democrats decline to fund the U.S. government, and because of this, many of our operations are disrupted, and most of our Transportation Security Administration employees are working without pay,” Noem stated in the video.

The Port of Portland Response

The Portland airport authority explained that it “did not consent to airing the video in its current form, as we maintain the Hatch Act explicitly forbids utilization of government resources for partisan messaging.” It added that state regulations in Oregon prohibits public employees from promoting or opposing any party affiliation and that agreeing to broadcast this content would break state law.

Harry Reid International Position

Las Vegas's Harry Reid airport also declined to display the security announcement on comparable reasons, stating in a statement that “the video's message contained partisan statements that was inconsistent with the neutral, educational purpose of the public service announcements usually shown at checkpoint screens” and also cited the federal act.

Understanding the Hatch Act Regulations

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

Additional Airport Responses

• Phoenix airport airport explained that it “declined to post the PSA” to remain “consistent with airport policy,” which does not allow political content.
• The Port of Seattle, which manages Sea-Tac airport, similarly refused, pointing to “the political nature of the video.”
• Charlotte airport said that state local regulations and the airport's rules for digital content “do not allow the referenced video.” The airport also added that the Transportation Security Administration lacks ownership of any screens at its checkpoints and that its limited display monitors are reserved for directions, flight updates, and paid advertisements.

Westchester Criticism

Westchester County, in a statement, described the video “unacceptable, unacceptable, and out of line with the standards we expect from our federal leaders.”

“The public service announcement makes political the effects of a government closure on TSA operations,” the county executive said, adding that the tone was “overly alarming” and “erodes customer confidence.”

DHS Response

A Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, echoed the Secretary's language to attribute fault to “partisan tactics” in a response, adding that “Democratic leaders will soon recognize the importance of reopening the government.”

Bipartisan Calls for Solution

The Port of Seattle said that it continued to “encourage cooperative actions to end the government shutdown” and was working to identify ways to assist federal employees unpaid during the closure.