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Several prominent global airports across the United States, among them Phoenix Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in NC, have opted to prevent a public service announcement from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that faults Democrats for the continuing government closure from airing at their checkpoint areas.

Legal Issues Raised by Aviation Officials

Airport authorities in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, and Westchester, New York have refused to display the footage at security checkpoints, stating that the overtly political messaging could violate federal and state regulations, including the Hatch Act, which prohibits government workers from engaging in partisan actions.

“Democratic legislators refuse to fund the U.S. government, and because of this, many of our functions are affected, and most of our TSA employees are unpaid,” the Secretary remarked in the announcement.

The Port of Portland Reaction

The Portland airport authority clarified that it “did not consent to airing the PSA in its present version, as we believe the federal law clearly prohibits utilization of government resources for political purposes.” It added that state regulations in Oregon bars public employees from promoting or opposing any political party and that consenting to play this video would violate state law.

Las Vegas Position

The Harry Reid airport also declined to display the TSA video on similar grounds, stating in a release that “its content included political messaging that was inconsistent with the neutral, educational nature of the PSAs usually displayed at security checkpoints” and also referenced the Hatch Act.

Explaining the Hatch Act Regulations

The Hatch Act of 1939 is a federal law that bans political activities by government employees to guarantee that government programs stay non-partisan.

Further Authority Rejections

• Phoenix Sky Harbor international airport stated that it “declined to display the video” to stay “in line with airport policy,” which does not allow partisan material.
• The Seattle port authority, which operates Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, similarly 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 screen content “do not permit the video in question.” The airport also noted that the Transportation Security Administration does not own any screens at its security areas and that its limited digital screens are reserved for wayfinding, flight updates, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester County Objection

The county, in a statement, described the video “inappropriate, improper, and out of line with the values we anticipate from our federal leaders.”

“The public service announcement makes political the effects of a government closure on security operations,” the county executive stated, adding that the tone was “overly alarming” and “undermines customer confidence.”

Homeland Security Response

A Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, repeated the Secretary's wording to attribute fault to “political gamesmanship” in a statement, stating that “Democratic leaders will soon recognize the importance of reopening the federal government.”

Cross-Party Appeals for Solution

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