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Several key global air travel hubs across the US, among them Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas in North Carolina, have chosen to restrict a video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that attributes responsibility to Democratic lawmakers for the continuing federal government shutdown from airing at their security checkpoints.

Legal Concerns Cited by Airport Authorities

Aviation administrators in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Portland, Charlotte, and Westchester County have declined to broadcast the video content at security checkpoints, stating that the clearly partisan content could contravene state and federal law, such as the Hatch Act, which bars government workers from engaging in partisan actions.

“Congressional Democrats decline to fund the federal government, and as a result, many of our functions are impacted, and most of our TSA staff are working without pay,” the Secretary stated in the video.

The Port of Portland Response

The Port of Portland explained that it “would not agree to displaying the PSA in its current form, as we maintain the federal law explicitly forbids use of public assets for political purposes.” The port further stated that Oregon law bars government staff from promoting or opposing any party affiliation and that agreeing to play this video would violate state law.

Las Vegas Position

Las Vegas's Harry Reid airport also refused to show the security announcement on comparable reasons, noting in a statement that “its content contained political messaging that was inconsistent with the neutral, informational purpose of the public service announcements usually displayed at security checkpoints” and also referenced the Hatch Act.

Understanding the Hatch Act Regulations

The Hatch Act is a federal law that forbids political activities by government employees to ensure that public services remain impartial.

Further Authority Responses

• Phoenix airport international airport explained that it “refused to post the PSA” to stay “in line with airport policy,” which prohibits political content.
• The Seattle port authority, which manages Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, similarly declined, pointing to “the political nature of the content.”
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport said that state municipal law and the airport's rules for digital content “do not permit the video in question.” The airport also noted that the TSA does not own any screens at its checkpoints and that its limited digital screens are reserved for directions, flight updates, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester Objection

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

“The PSA politicizes the impacts of a government closure on security operations,” the county executive said, noting that the tone was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “erodes public trust.”

Homeland Security Response

A Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, repeated Noem’s wording to attribute fault to “political gamesmanship” in a response, adding that “Democratic leaders will soon recognize the significance of reopening the federal government.”

Cross-Party Appeals for Solution

The Seattle authority said that it continued to “encourage bipartisan efforts to resolve the government shutdown” and was striving to identify methods to assist federal employees unpaid during the shutdown.