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A number of major international air travel hubs across the America, among them Phoenix Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in NC, have chosen to prevent a public service announcement from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that faults Democratic lawmakers for the current government closure from airing at their checkpoint areas.

Regulatory Concerns Raised by Airport Officials

Airport authorities in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester County have refused to broadcast the video content at security checkpoints, stating that the overtly political messaging could contravene state and federal law, such as the Hatch Act of 1939, which prohibits federal employees from participating in partisan actions.

“Democratic legislators refuse to fund the federal government, and as a result, many of our activities are disrupted, and most of our Transportation Security Administration employees are unpaid,” Noem stated in the announcement.

The Port of Portland Response

The Port of Portland noted that it “did not consent to playing the PSA in its present version, as we believe the federal law explicitly forbids utilization of government resources for partisan messaging.” It added that state regulations in Oregon prohibits government staff from promoting or opposing any political party and that consenting to broadcast this video would break state law.

Harry Reid International Position

Las Vegas's Harry Reid airport also declined to show the security announcement on similar grounds, stating in a statement that “the video's message included partisan statements that was inconsistent with the impartial, educational purpose of the PSAs usually displayed at security checkpoints” and also cited the federal act.

Understanding the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act of 1939 is a federal law that prohibits partisan actions by federal employees to ensure that government programs stay non-partisan.

Additional Authority Responses

• Phoenix Sky Harbor airport explained that it “declined to post the PSA” to stay “in line with airport policy,” which does not allow political content.
• The Port of Seattle, which manages Sea-Tac airport, similarly refused, citing “the political nature of the content.”
• Charlotte airport said that state municipal law and the airport’s policy for digital content “do not permit the referenced video.” The authority also noted that the TSA does not own any monitors at its checkpoints and that its limited display monitors are reserved for wayfinding, travel information, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester Criticism

Westchester County, in a statement, called the video “inappropriate, improper, and out of line with the values we expect from our nation’s top public officials.”

“The public service announcement politicizes the effects of a government closure on TSA operations,” the county executive said, noting that the message was “overly alarming” and “erodes customer confidence.”

DHS Reply

A Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, an agency representative, repeated the Secretary's language to blame “political gamesmanship” in a statement, adding that “Democratic leaders will shortly realize the importance of opening the federal government.”

Bipartisan Appeals for Solution

The Port of Seattle commented that it continued to “urge cooperative actions to resolve the government shutdown” and was striving to identify methods to support federal employees unpaid during the shutdown.