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Several key international air travel hubs across the US, including Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in North Carolina, have chosen to prevent a video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that faults Democrats for the current government closure from being shown at their screening locations.

Regulatory Issues Cited by Airport Officials

Airport officials in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester, New York have declined to display the video content at security checkpoints, stating that the political statements could violate state and federal law, including the Hatch Act of 1939, which bars government workers from engaging in partisan actions.

“Democratic legislators decline to support funding for the federal government, and because of this, many of our operations are affected, and most of our Transportation Security Administration employees are working without pay,” Noem remarked in the announcement.

Portland Response

The Portland airport authority explained that it “would not agree to playing the video in its current form, as we believe the federal law clearly prohibits utilization of government resources for political aims.” It added that state regulations in Oregon bars public employees from supporting or criticizing any party affiliation and that agreeing to play this video would break state law.

Harry Reid International Statement

The Harry Reid International Airport also declined to show the TSA video on comparable reasons, noting in a statement that “its content included partisan statements that was inconsistent with the impartial, educational purpose of the public service announcements typically displayed at security checkpoints” and also cited the federal act.

Understanding the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act is a U.S. law that bans political activities by federal employees to guarantee that government programs stay impartial.

Further Airport Rejections

• Phoenix airport international airport explained that it “declined to display the PSA” to remain “in line with airport policy,” which does not allow political content.
• The Seattle port authority, which operates Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, also declined, pointing to “the partisan tone of the content.”
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport clarified that North Carolina local regulations and the airport’s policy for digital content “do not permit the referenced video.” The airport also noted that the TSA lacks ownership of any screens at its checkpoints and that its few digital screens are reserved for directions, flight updates, and paid advertisements.

Westchester County Objection

Westchester County, in a public comment, described the video “inappropriate, unacceptable, and out of line with the standards we anticipate from our federal leaders.”

“The public service announcement makes political the effects of a government closure on TSA operations,” the county executive stated, adding that the message was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “undermines customer confidence.”

DHS Reply

A DHS assistant secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, echoed the Secretary's language to attribute fault to “political gamesmanship” in a response, adding that “Democratic leaders will shortly realize the significance of reopening the government.”

Cross-Party Appeals for Solution

The Seattle authority commented that it continued to “urge cooperative actions to end the government shutdown” and was striving to find methods to assist federal employees working without pay during the shutdown.