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A number of major international air travel hubs across the America, such as Phoenix Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas in North Carolina, have opted to block a video from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that faults Democratic lawmakers for the ongoing government closure from being shown at their checkpoint areas.

Regulatory Issues Raised by Airport Officials

Airport authorities in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, Charlotte, and Westchester County have declined to display the video content at security checkpoints, stating that the overtly political messaging could violate state and federal law, such as the Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from participating in partisan political activity.

“Congressional Democrats refuse to finance the U.S. government, and because of this, many of our activities are impacted, and most of our TSA workers are unpaid,” Noem said in the announcement.

Portland Response

The Portland airport authority explained that it “would not agree to airing the PSA in its present version, as we consider the Hatch Act clearly prohibits utilization of government resources for partisan messaging.” The port further stated that Oregon law prohibits government staff from supporting or criticizing any political party and that agreeing to broadcast this content would break Oregon law.

Las Vegas Position

The Harry Reid International Airport also declined to display the security announcement on comparable reasons, noting in a release that “the video's message included partisan statements that did not align with the impartial, informational purpose of the PSAs typically displayed at checkpoint screens” and also cited the Hatch Act.

Explaining the Hatch Act Regulations

The Hatch Act is a federal law that prohibits political activities by government employees to ensure that government programs remain unbiased.

Further Airport Rejections

• Phoenix Sky Harbor international airport stated that it “declined to post the PSA” to remain “in line with airport guidelines,” which prohibits partisan material.
• The Seattle port authority, which operates Sea-Tac airport, also declined, citing “the political nature of the content.”
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport said that state municipal law and the airport’s policy for screen content “do not allow the referenced video.” The authority also added that the Transportation Security Administration lacks ownership of any monitors at its checkpoints and that its limited digital screens are reserved for directions, travel information, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester Criticism

The county, in a public comment, called the video “inappropriate, improper, and out of line with the values we expect from our federal leaders.”

“The PSA politicizes the impacts of a federal government shutdown on security operations,” the county leader stated, noting that the message was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “undermines customer confidence.”

DHS Reply

A Department of Homeland Security official, an agency representative, repeated the Secretary's language to blame “political gamesmanship” in a response, adding that “Democrats will soon recognize the importance of opening the federal government.”

Bipartisan Calls for Resolution

The Port of Seattle commented that it continued to “encourage cooperative actions to end the government shutdown” and was working to find ways to assist government workers unpaid during the closure.