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A number of key international airports across the United States, among them Phoenix Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in NC, have opted to restrict a video from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that attributes responsibility to Democratic lawmakers for the continuing government closure from being shown at their checkpoint areas.

Legal Concerns Raised by Airport Officials

Airport officials in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester, New York have refused to show the footage at screening areas, stating that the clearly partisan content could breach state and federal law, including the Hatch Act of 1939, which forbids federal employees from engaging in political campaigning.

“Congressional Democrats decline to fund the U.S. government, and because of this, many of our functions are impacted, and most of our Transportation Security Administration workers are unpaid,” Noem stated in the video.

The Port of Portland Response

The Port of Portland clarified that it “would not agree to displaying the PSA in its present version, as we believe the Hatch Act explicitly forbids utilization of government resources for political aims.” It added that state regulations in Oregon prohibits government staff from promoting or opposing any political party and that consenting to broadcast this content would break Oregon law.

Las Vegas Statement

Las Vegas's Harry Reid International Airport also refused to show the security announcement on comparable reasons, noting in a statement that “its content included political messaging that was inconsistent with the impartial, educational purpose of the public service announcements typically displayed at security checkpoints” and also referenced the Hatch Act.

Explaining the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act of 1939 is a U.S. law that prohibits partisan actions by government employees to ensure that public services remain non-partisan.

Additional Authority Responses

• Phoenix Sky Harbor international airport stated that it “declined to post the video” to remain “consistent with airport policy,” which prohibits partisan material.
• The Seattle port authority, which manages Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, also refused, citing “the partisan tone of the video.”
• Charlotte airport clarified that North Carolina municipal law and the airport’s policy for digital content “do not allow the referenced video.” The airport also added that the Transportation Security Administration does not own any monitors at its security areas and that its few display monitors are reserved for directions, travel information, and paid advertisements.

Westchester County Criticism

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

“The PSA makes political the effects of a federal government shutdown on TSA operations,” the county leader stated, noting that the message was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “undermines customer confidence.”

DHS Response

A Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, an agency representative, echoed Noem’s language to attribute fault to “political gamesmanship” in a statement, adding that “Democratic leaders will soon realize the importance of opening the federal government.”

Bipartisan Calls for Resolution

The Seattle authority said that it continued to “encourage bipartisan efforts to resolve the federal closure” and was working to find ways to support federal employees unpaid during the shutdown.