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Several key international airports across the US, among them Phoenix Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas in North Carolina, have decided to prevent a public service announcement from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that blames Democrats for the ongoing government closure from airing at their screening locations.

Legal Issues Cited by Aviation Officials

Airport authorities in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester, New York have refused to display the video content at security checkpoints, stating that the overtly political messaging could contravene federal and state regulations, such as the Hatch Act of 1939, which prohibits government workers from participating in partisan political activity.

“Congressional Democrats decline to finance the federal government, and as a result, many of our operations are affected, and most of our TSA workers are working without pay,” the Secretary stated in the video.

The Port of Portland Response

The Portland airport authority noted that it “would not agree to playing the video in its current form, as we believe the federal law explicitly forbids use of public assets for partisan messaging.” The port further stated that state regulations in Oregon prohibits public employees from promoting or opposing any political party and that consenting to broadcast this content would violate Oregon law.

Las Vegas Position

The Harry Reid International Airport also refused to display the security announcement on comparable reasons, stating in a release that “its content included partisan statements that did not align with the impartial, informational purpose of the PSAs usually shown at checkpoint screens” and also cited the Hatch Act.

Explaining the Hatch Act Regulations

The Hatch Act of 1939 is a U.S. law that bans political activities by federal employees to ensure that public services remain non-partisan.

Additional Authority Responses

• Phoenix airport airport stated that it “refused to post the video” to stay “consistent with airport policy,” which does not allow political content.
• The Port of Seattle, which manages Sea-Tac airport, also declined, pointing to “the partisan tone of the content.”
• Charlotte airport said that state local regulations and the airport’s policy for digital content “do not permit the video in question.” The authority also added that the Transportation Security Administration lacks ownership of any monitors at its checkpoints and that its few display monitors are reserved for wayfinding, travel information, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester Objection

The county, in a statement, called the PSA “inappropriate, unacceptable, and inconsistent with the values we anticipate from our federal leaders.”

“The public service announcement politicizes the effects of a federal government shutdown on TSA operations,” the county leader said, adding that the message was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “undermines customer confidence.”

DHS Response

A Department of Homeland Security official, Tricia McLaughlin, echoed the Secretary's language to attribute fault to “partisan tactics” in a response, stating that “Democrats will soon realize the importance of opening the federal government.”

Bipartisan Calls for Solution

The Port of Seattle said that it continued to “urge bipartisan efforts to resolve the government shutdown” and was working to identify ways to support government workers unpaid during the shutdown.