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Several prominent global air travel hubs across the US, such as Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in North Carolina, have decided to prevent a public service announcement from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that blames Democratic lawmakers for the ongoing government closure from playing at their screening locations.

Regulatory Concerns Raised by Airport Officials

Airport officials in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester County have declined to show the video content at screening areas, stating that the political statements could contravene state and federal law, including the Hatch Act of 1939, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in political campaigning.

“Democrats in Congress refuse to finance the U.S. government, and because of this, many of our operations are impacted, and most of our Transportation Security Administration staff are working without pay,” the Secretary stated in the announcement.

Portland Response

The Port of Portland noted that it “would not agree to playing the video in its present version, as we maintain the federal law clearly prohibits utilization of government resources for political purposes.” The port further stated that Oregon law prohibits public employees from promoting or opposing any party affiliation and that consenting to broadcast this video would violate Oregon law.

Harry Reid International Position

The Harry Reid International Airport also declined to display the TSA video on comparable reasons, saying in a statement that “its content included political messaging that was inconsistent with the impartial, informational purpose of the public service announcements typically shown at security checkpoints” and also cited the Hatch Act.

Explaining the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act is a federal law that forbids partisan actions by government employees to guarantee that government programs stay non-partisan.

Further Authority Rejections

• Phoenix Sky Harbor airport stated that it “refused to post the video” to remain “in line with airport policy,” which does not allow partisan material.
• The Seattle port authority, which operates Sea-Tac airport, similarly refused, citing “the partisan tone of the content.”
• Charlotte airport said that North Carolina municipal law and the airport's rules for digital content “do not permit the referenced video.” The authority also noted that the TSA does not own any screens at its security areas and that its limited display monitors are reserved for directions, flight updates, and paid advertisements.

Westchester Objection

The county, in a public comment, called the video “unacceptable, unacceptable, and inconsistent with the standards we anticipate from our nation’s top public officials.”

“The public service announcement makes political the impacts of a federal government shutdown on security operations,” the county leader stated, adding that the message was “overly alarming” and “erodes customer confidence.”

Homeland Security Response

A DHS official, Tricia McLaughlin, echoed the Secretary's wording to blame “partisan tactics” in a response, adding that “Democratic leaders will soon realize the importance of reopening the government.”

Bipartisan Calls for Resolution

The Seattle authority commented that it continued to “encourage bipartisan efforts to resolve the government shutdown” and was striving to identify ways to support government workers working without pay during the closure.