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Several major global airports across the US, including Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas in North Carolina, have chosen to block a video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that blames Democrats for the current federal government shutdown from airing at their security checkpoints.

Regulatory Concerns Raised by Aviation Authorities

Airport officials in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester, New York have refused to display the video content at security checkpoints, stating that the political statements could breach federal and state regulations, such as the Hatch Act of 1939, which forbids federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity.

“Democratic legislators refuse to finance the U.S. government, and because of this, many of our operations are affected, and most of our Transportation Security Administration workers are not receiving wages,” Noem said in the announcement.

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 believe the Hatch Act clearly prohibits utilization of government resources for political purposes.” The port further stated that state regulations in Oregon prohibits public employees from supporting or criticizing any party affiliation and that agreeing to play this video would violate state law.

Harry Reid International Position

The Harry Reid International Airport also declined to show the TSA video on similar grounds, noting in a release that “the video's message included partisan statements that did not align with the impartial, informational purpose of the PSAs usually displayed at security checkpoints” and also referenced the Hatch Act.

Explaining the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act of 1939 is a federal law that prohibits partisan actions by government employees to guarantee that government programs remain non-partisan.

Additional Authority Rejections

• Phoenix airport airport stated that it “declined to post the video” to stay “consistent with airport policy,” which prohibits partisan material.
• The Seattle port authority, which manages Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, also refused, pointing to “the political nature of the video.”
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport said that North Carolina municipal law and the airport’s policy for screen content “do not allow the referenced video.” The authority also added that the TSA does not own any monitors at its security areas and that its few display monitors are reserved for directions, travel information, and paid advertisements.

Westchester County Objection

The county, in a public comment, called the PSA “unacceptable, unacceptable, and inconsistent with the standards we expect from our nation’s top public officials.”

“The public service announcement politicizes the impacts of a federal government shutdown on TSA operations,” the county executive stated, noting that the tone was “overly alarming” and “undermines public trust.”

Homeland Security Response

A Department of Homeland Security official, Tricia McLaughlin, repeated the Secretary's wording 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 said that it continued to “encourage bipartisan efforts to end the federal closure” and was striving to find ways to assist government workers unpaid during the shutdown.