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A number of prominent global airports across the United States, among them 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 Democrats for the ongoing government closure from airing at their checkpoint areas.

Regulatory Issues Cited by Aviation Officials

Airport authorities in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester, New York have refused to broadcast the video content at screening areas, stating that the political statements could breach federal and state regulations, including the Hatch Act, which forbids federal employees from engaging in political campaigning.

“Democratic legislators decline to fund the federal government, and because of this, many of our operations are impacted, and most of our TSA workers are working without pay,” Noem said in the video.

The Port of Portland Response

The Portland airport authority explained that it “did not consent to playing the PSA in its current form, as we believe the Hatch Act explicitly forbids utilization of government resources for political aims.” The port further stated that Oregon law prohibits government staff from supporting or criticizing any party affiliation and that agreeing to play this content would violate Oregon law.

Harry Reid International Position

Las Vegas's Harry Reid International Airport also refused to show the TSA video on similar grounds, stating in a release that “the video's message included political messaging that was inconsistent with the impartial, informational purpose of the PSAs usually shown at checkpoint screens” and also referenced the federal act.

Understanding the Hatch Act Regulations

The Hatch Act is a U.S. law that bans political activities by government employees to guarantee that government programs remain non-partisan.

Further Airport Rejections

• Phoenix airport international airport explained that it “declined to post the video” to remain “consistent with airport policy,” which prohibits partisan material.
• The Seattle port authority, which operates Sea-Tac airport, similarly refused, pointing to “the partisan tone of the video.”
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport said that state municipal law and the airport’s policy for digital content “do not allow the video in question.” The airport also noted that the Transportation Security Administration does not own any monitors at its checkpoints and that its limited display monitors are designated for directions, travel information, and paid advertisements.

Westchester Criticism

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

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

Homeland Security Response

A DHS official, an agency representative, repeated Noem’s language to attribute fault to “partisan tactics” in a statement, adding that “Democratic leaders will soon recognize the significance of reopening the federal government.”

Bipartisan Calls for Solution

The Port of Seattle said that it continued to “encourage cooperative actions to resolve the government shutdown” and was working to identify methods to support federal employees working without pay during the shutdown.