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A number of major international air travel hubs across the America, among them Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in North Carolina, have decided to prevent a video from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that faults Democratic lawmakers for the ongoing government closure from being shown at their security checkpoints.

Regulatory Issues Raised by Airport Authorities

Aviation administrators in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, and Westchester County have refused to show the video content at security checkpoints, stating that the clearly partisan content could violate federal and state regulations, such as the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity.

“Congressional Democrats refuse to support funding for the federal government, and as a result, many of our operations are impacted, and most of our TSA employees are unpaid,” the Secretary said in the announcement.

Portland Response

The Port of Portland clarified that it “did not consent to displaying the PSA in its present version, as we consider the Hatch Act clearly prohibits use of public assets for partisan messaging.” The port further stated that Oregon law prohibits public employees from supporting or criticizing any party affiliation and that consenting to broadcast this video would violate state law.

Las Vegas Statement

The Harry Reid airport also refused to display the security announcement on similar grounds, stating in a statement that “its content included partisan statements that was inconsistent with the neutral, informational purpose of the PSAs usually shown at security checkpoints” and also referenced the federal act.

Explaining the Hatch Act Regulations

The Hatch Act is a federal law that prohibits partisan actions by federal employees to ensure that public services remain unbiased.

Further Airport Responses

• Phoenix Sky Harbor international airport stated that it “refused to display the PSA” to remain “consistent with airport policy,” which does not allow political content.
• The Seattle port authority, which operates Sea-Tac airport, also refused, citing “the partisan tone of the content.”
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport said that state local regulations and the airport’s policy for digital content “do not allow the video in question.” The airport also noted that the TSA lacks ownership of any monitors at its security areas and that its limited display monitors are designated for directions, flight updates, and paid advertisements.

Westchester Objection

The county, in a statement, described the PSA “unacceptable, improper, and inconsistent with the values we anticipate from our federal leaders.”

“The PSA politicizes the effects of a government closure on TSA operations,” the county leader stated, noting that the tone was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “erodes customer confidence.”

DHS Response

A Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, an agency representative, echoed Noem’s language to blame “political gamesmanship” in a response, adding that “Democrats will shortly realize the significance of reopening the government.”

Cross-Party Calls for Solution

The Port of Seattle said that it continued to “encourage cooperative actions to end the government shutdown” and was working to identify ways to support government workers working without pay during the closure.