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A number of prominent global air travel hubs across the America, including Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas in NC, have opted to restrict a video from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that blames Democrats for the ongoing government closure from being shown at their checkpoint areas.

Regulatory Issues Cited by Airport Officials

Airport authorities in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Charlotte, and Westchester County have declined to broadcast the footage at security checkpoints, stating that the clearly partisan content could breach federal and state regulations, including the Hatch Act of 1939, which forbids government workers from participating in partisan actions.

“Democratic legislators refuse to fund the U.S. government, and because of this, many of our functions are impacted, and most of our TSA workers are unpaid,” the Secretary said in the video.

Portland Reaction

The Port of Portland noted that it “would not agree to displaying the video in its present version, as we maintain the federal law clearly prohibits utilization of government resources for partisan messaging.” The port further stated that Oregon law prohibits government staff from promoting or opposing any party affiliation and that consenting to play this video would violate state law.

Las Vegas Position

Las Vegas's Harry Reid International Airport also refused to display the security announcement on comparable reasons, stating in a statement that “the video's message included political messaging that was inconsistent with the neutral, educational purpose of the PSAs usually shown at security checkpoints” and also referenced the federal act.

Explaining the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act is a U.S. law that forbids partisan actions by government employees to ensure that public services stay impartial.

Additional Airport Responses

• Phoenix Sky Harbor international airport explained that it “declined to display the PSA” to stay “consistent with airport guidelines,” which prohibits political content.
• The Seattle port authority, which manages Sea-Tac airport, also declined, pointing to “the political nature of the content.”
• Charlotte airport said that North Carolina municipal law and the airport's rules for digital content “do not permit the referenced video.” The authority also added that the Transportation Security Administration lacks ownership of any monitors at its checkpoints and that its limited display monitors are reserved for directions, travel information, and paid advertisements.

Westchester Criticism

Westchester County, in a public comment, described the PSA “unacceptable, unacceptable, and inconsistent with the standards we expect from our nation’s top public officials.”

“The public service announcement politicizes the impacts of a government closure on TSA operations,” the county executive stated, noting that the tone was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “undermines public trust.”

Homeland Security Reply

A DHS assistant secretary, an agency representative, repeated Noem’s language to blame “political gamesmanship” in a statement, adding that “Democrats will soon recognize the importance of opening the federal government.”

Bipartisan Appeals for Solution

The Port of Seattle said that it continued to “urge cooperative actions to resolve the government shutdown” and was striving to find ways to support federal employees working without pay during the closure.