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Several key international airports across the United States, such as Phoenix Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas in North Carolina, have decided to prevent a public service announcement from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that faults Democrats for the current government closure from airing at their screening locations.

Legal Concerns Cited by Aviation Officials

Aviation administrators in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester County have declined to display the video content at screening areas, stating that the clearly partisan content could violate state and federal law, including the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in political campaigning.

“Democratic legislators refuse to finance the federal government, and as a result, many of our functions are affected, and most of our Transportation Security Administration employees are working without pay,” Noem stated in the video.

The Port of Portland Response

The Port of Portland clarified that it “did not consent to airing the PSA in its current form, as we maintain the federal law clearly prohibits use of public assets for political aims.” The port further stated that Oregon law prohibits government staff from promoting or opposing any political party and that agreeing to broadcast this video would break Oregon law.

Las Vegas Position

The Harry Reid airport also refused to display the security announcement on similar grounds, noting in a statement that “the video's message contained political messaging that did not align with the neutral, informational nature of the public service announcements typically shown at security checkpoints” and also cited the federal act.

Understanding the Hatch Act Regulations

The Hatch Act is a federal law that bans political activities by federal employees to ensure that public services stay non-partisan.

Additional Authority Responses

• Phoenix Sky Harbor airport explained that it “declined to display the PSA” to stay “in line with airport guidelines,” which does not allow political content.
• The Seattle port authority, which operates Sea-Tac airport, also declined, citing “the partisan tone of the content.”
• Charlotte airport clarified that North Carolina local regulations and the airport's rules for screen content “do not allow the referenced video.” The airport also noted that the TSA lacks ownership of any monitors at its security areas and that its few display monitors are reserved for wayfinding, travel information, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester Criticism

The county, in a public comment, called the PSA “inappropriate, unacceptable, and out of line with the standards we anticipate from our federal leaders.”

“The PSA makes political the effects of a federal government shutdown on TSA operations,” the county executive said, adding that the tone was “overly alarming” and “erodes customer confidence.”

Homeland Security Reply

A Department of Homeland Security official, an agency representative, echoed the Secretary's language to attribute fault to “political gamesmanship” in a statement, adding that “Democrats will shortly recognize the importance of reopening the federal government.”

Bipartisan Calls for Solution

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