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Several major international air travel hubs across the America, such as Phoenix Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in NC, have decided to block a video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that attributes responsibility to Democratic lawmakers for the current federal government shutdown from airing at their checkpoint areas.

Legal Concerns Raised by Aviation Officials

Airport officials in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, and Westchester, New York have declined to show 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 federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity.

“Congressional Democrats refuse to finance the federal government, and as a result, many of our operations are impacted, and most of our Transportation Security Administration staff are unpaid,” Noem said in the video.

Portland Reaction

The Port of Portland explained that it “did not consent to playing the video in its present version, as we maintain the federal law explicitly forbids use of public assets for political purposes.” The port further stated that state regulations in Oregon prohibits public employees from promoting or opposing any party affiliation and that agreeing to play this video would break state law.

Las Vegas Position

The Harry Reid airport also refused to show the security announcement on similar grounds, noting in a release that “the video's message contained partisan statements that did not align with the impartial, educational nature of the public service announcements typically shown at checkpoint screens” and also referenced the federal act.

Explaining the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act of 1939 is a federal law that prohibits political activities by federal employees to ensure that government programs remain impartial.

Additional Airport Responses

• Phoenix airport international airport stated that it “declined to post the PSA” to stay “in line with airport policy,” which does not allow partisan material.
• The Seattle port authority, which manages Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, also declined, citing “the political nature of the video.”
• Charlotte airport said that North Carolina municipal law and the airport's rules for digital content “do not permit the video in question.” The authority also added that the TSA does not own any screens at its security areas and that its limited display monitors are reserved for wayfinding, flight updates, and paid advertisements.

Westchester County Objection

Westchester County, in a statement, called the video “unacceptable, unacceptable, and out of line with the standards we expect from our federal leaders.”

“The PSA politicizes the impacts of a government closure on security operations,” the county executive said, adding that the tone was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “erodes customer confidence.”

DHS Reply

A DHS official, an agency representative, repeated Noem’s language to blame “partisan tactics” in a response, adding that “Democratic leaders will shortly realize the importance of reopening the federal government.”

Cross-Party Calls for Solution

The Port of Seattle commented that it continued to “urge bipartisan efforts to end the federal closure” and was striving to find ways to support government workers unpaid during the closure.