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Several key global airports across the America, among them Phoenix Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in North Carolina, have chosen to restrict a video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that blames Democrats for the continuing government closure from being shown at their checkpoint areas.

Legal Concerns Cited by Aviation Officials

Airport authorities in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester County have refused to show the footage at security checkpoints, stating that the clearly partisan content could violate federal and state regulations, including the Hatch Act, which forbids government workers from engaging in partisan political activity.

“Democratic legislators decline to fund the federal government, and because of this, many of our activities are impacted, and most of our TSA workers are unpaid,” Noem stated in the video.

Portland Reaction

The Portland airport authority explained that it “did not consent to playing the video in its current form, as we consider the Hatch Act explicitly forbids use of public assets for political purposes.” It added that Oregon law prohibits government staff from promoting or opposing any party affiliation and that agreeing to play 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, noting in a release 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.

Understanding the Hatch Act Regulations

The Hatch Act of 1939 is a U.S. law that bans partisan actions by government employees to guarantee that public services remain impartial.

Further Authority Rejections

• Phoenix Sky Harbor airport stated that it “refused to post the PSA” to stay “consistent with airport policy,” which prohibits partisan material.
• The Port of Seattle, which manages Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, similarly refused, citing “the political nature of the content.”
• Charlotte airport said that North Carolina municipal law and the airport’s policy for digital content “do not allow the video in question.” The airport also added that the Transportation Security Administration does not own any monitors at its security areas and that its limited display monitors are reserved for directions, flight updates, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester Criticism

Westchester County, in a public comment, described the PSA “inappropriate, improper, and inconsistent with the standards we anticipate from our federal leaders.”

“The PSA makes political the effects of a government closure on security operations,” the county executive said, noting that the tone was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “undermines customer confidence.”

DHS Response

A Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, repeated Noem’s language to blame “partisan tactics” in a statement, stating that “Democrats will shortly realize the significance of opening the government.”

Cross-Party Calls for Solution

The Port of Seattle commented that it continued to “encourage cooperative actions to resolve the government shutdown” and was striving to identify ways to support government workers unpaid during the shutdown.