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A number of major international airports across the US, such as Phoenix Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in NC, have chosen to restrict a video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that faults Democrats for the continuing federal government shutdown from being shown at their security checkpoints.

Regulatory Concerns Raised by Airport Officials

Aviation administrators in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester, New York have refused to broadcast the video content at screening areas, stating that the overtly political messaging could violate federal and state regulations, such as the Hatch Act of 1939, which prohibits government workers from participating in partisan actions.

“Congressional Democrats refuse to fund the U.S. government, and because of this, many of our functions are disrupted, and most of our Transportation Security Administration workers are working without pay,” Noem stated in the video.

The Port of Portland Response

The Portland airport authority noted that it “would not agree to displaying the PSA in its current form, as we believe the federal law explicitly forbids utilization of government resources for political purposes.” It added that state regulations in Oregon prohibits government staff from promoting or opposing any party affiliation and that consenting to play this content would break Oregon law.

Harry Reid International Position

Las Vegas's Harry Reid airport also declined to display the TSA video on similar grounds, saying in a release that “the video's message contained political messaging that was inconsistent with the impartial, informational nature of the public service announcements usually shown at checkpoint screens” and also referenced the federal act.

Explaining the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act of 1939 is a federal law that bans political activities by government employees to guarantee that government programs remain unbiased.

Further Airport Rejections

• Phoenix airport airport explained that it “declined to post the video” to remain “in line with airport guidelines,” which prohibits partisan material.
• The Port of Seattle, which manages Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, similarly refused, pointing to “the political nature of the content.”
• Charlotte airport said that North Carolina local regulations and the airport's rules for screen content “do not allow the video in question.” The airport also added that the Transportation Security Administration does not own any screens at its security areas and that its few display monitors are designated for wayfinding, travel information, and paid advertisements.

Westchester Criticism

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

“The PSA politicizes the impacts of a federal government shutdown on TSA operations,” the county leader said, noting that the message was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “undermines public trust.”

DHS Response

A Department of Homeland Security official, an agency representative, echoed Noem’s wording to attribute fault to “political gamesmanship” in a statement, stating that “Democratic leaders will shortly recognize the importance of opening the government.”

Cross-Party Appeals for Resolution

The Port of Seattle commented that it continued to “urge bipartisan efforts to resolve the federal closure” and was working to identify methods to assist government workers unpaid during the shutdown.