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Several prominent international air travel hubs across the United States, such as Phoenix Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in NC, have opted to restrict a video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that attributes responsibility to Democratic lawmakers for the continuing government closure from playing at their screening locations.

Legal Concerns Raised by Airport Authorities

Airport officials in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester, New York have declined to broadcast the video content at security checkpoints, stating that the overtly political messaging could violate federal and state regulations, such as the Hatch Act of 1939, which prohibits federal employees from participating in political campaigning.

“Democratic legislators refuse to finance the U.S. government, and as a result, many of our functions are disrupted, and most of our TSA staff are not receiving wages,” Noem remarked in the announcement.

Portland Reaction

The Portland airport authority clarified that it “did not consent to airing the video in its current form, as we maintain the federal law explicitly forbids utilization of government resources for partisan messaging.” It added that state regulations in Oregon bars public employees from supporting or criticizing any political party and that consenting to broadcast this content would break Oregon law.

Harry Reid International Statement

The Harry Reid airport also declined to show the security announcement on comparable reasons, saying in a release that “the video's message contained partisan statements that was inconsistent with the impartial, educational nature of the public service announcements typically shown at security checkpoints” and also referenced the federal act.

Understanding the Hatch Act Regulations

The Hatch Act is a federal law that bans political activities by federal employees to guarantee that public services remain unbiased.

Additional Airport Rejections

• Phoenix Sky Harbor international airport stated that it “refused to display the PSA” to stay “consistent with airport guidelines,” which prohibits political content.
• The Port of Seattle, which manages Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, also refused, citing “the partisan tone of the video.”
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport said that state municipal law and the airport’s policy for screen content “do not permit the referenced video.” The authority also noted that the Transportation Security Administration lacks ownership of any monitors at its security areas and that its few digital screens are reserved for directions, flight updates, and paid advertisements.

Westchester County Criticism

Westchester County, in a public comment, described the video “unacceptable, unacceptable, and inconsistent with the values we expect from our federal leaders.”

“The PSA politicizes the effects of a government closure on TSA operations,” the county executive said, adding that the message was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “undermines public trust.”

Homeland Security Reply

A DHS official, an agency representative, echoed the Secretary's wording to blame “partisan tactics” in a statement, stating that “Democrats will shortly realize the significance of opening the government.”

Cross-Party Calls for Solution

The Port of Seattle said that it continued to “encourage cooperative actions to end the federal closure” and was striving to find ways to assist government workers unpaid during the closure.