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Several prominent international air travel hubs across the US, such as Phoenix Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in North Carolina, have opted to restrict a video from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that blames Democrats for the continuing federal government shutdown from being shown at their screening locations.

Regulatory Issues Raised by Airport Authorities

Aviation administrators in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester County have refused to broadcast the footage at security checkpoints, stating that the clearly partisan content could violate federal and state regulations, including the Hatch Act of 1939, which forbids government workers from participating in partisan political activity.

“Democrats in Congress decline to support funding for the U.S. government, and because of this, many of our operations are disrupted, and most of our Transportation Security Administration staff are not receiving wages,” the Secretary stated in the announcement.

The Port of Portland Response

The Port of Portland explained that it “would not agree to airing the PSA in its current form, as we believe the Hatch Act explicitly forbids use of public assets for partisan messaging.” The port further stated that state regulations in Oregon bars public employees from supporting or criticizing any party affiliation and that agreeing to play this content would violate Oregon law.

Harry Reid International Statement

The Harry Reid International Airport also declined to display the TSA video on similar grounds, stating in a statement that “the video's message contained partisan statements that was inconsistent with the impartial, informational purpose of the public service announcements typically displayed at checkpoint screens” and also referenced the Hatch Act.

Explaining the Hatch Act Regulations

The Hatch Act is a U.S. law that bans partisan actions by government employees to ensure that public services remain unbiased.

Additional Authority Responses

• Phoenix airport airport explained that it “declined to display the PSA” to remain “consistent with airport guidelines,” which does not allow partisan material.
• The Seattle port authority, which manages Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, also declined, citing “the partisan tone of the content.”
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport clarified that North Carolina municipal law and the airport’s policy for screen content “do not allow the referenced video.” The airport also added that the TSA does not own any monitors at its checkpoints and that its limited display monitors are reserved for wayfinding, flight updates, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester Criticism

Westchester County, in a public comment, described the PSA “unacceptable, unacceptable, and out of line with the values we expect from our nation’s top public officials.”

“The public service announcement makes political the impacts of a government closure on security operations,” the county leader said, noting that the tone was “overly alarming” and “undermines customer confidence.”

Homeland Security Reply

A Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, echoed Noem’s wording to attribute fault to “political gamesmanship” in a response, adding that “Democrats will shortly recognize the significance of opening the federal government.”

Bipartisan Calls for Solution

The Port of Seattle commented that it continued to “encourage bipartisan efforts to end the government shutdown” and was striving to identify methods to assist federal employees unpaid during the closure.