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Several key international airports across the America, including Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas in North Carolina, have opted to block a video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that blames Democrats for the ongoing federal government shutdown from being shown at their screening locations.

Regulatory Concerns Raised by Airport Officials

Airport officials in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, and Westchester, New York have refused to broadcast the video content at security checkpoints, stating that the political statements could violate state and federal law, such as the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from participating in partisan political activity.

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

Portland Reaction

The Portland airport authority noted that it “did not consent to playing the video in its present version, as we believe the federal law explicitly forbids utilization of government resources for partisan messaging.” The port further stated that state regulations in Oregon bars government staff from supporting or criticizing any political party and that consenting to play this video would violate state law.

Harry Reid International Statement

The Harry Reid International Airport also refused to show the security announcement on comparable reasons, noting in a release that “the video's message included political messaging that was inconsistent with the impartial, informational purpose of the public service announcements usually displayed at checkpoint screens” and also referenced the Hatch Act.

Understanding the Hatch Act Regulations

The Hatch Act of 1939 is a federal law that bans partisan actions by federal employees to ensure that government programs stay impartial.

Additional Authority Rejections

• Phoenix Sky Harbor airport stated that it “declined to post the video” to remain “consistent with airport policy,” which does not allow partisan material.
• The Seattle port authority, which manages Sea-Tac airport, also declined, citing “the political nature of the video.”
• Charlotte airport said that North Carolina local regulations and the airport’s policy for digital content “do not allow the video in question.” The airport also added that the TSA lacks ownership of any screens at its security areas and that its few display monitors are reserved for wayfinding, flight updates, and paid advertisements.

Westchester County Criticism

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

“The PSA politicizes the impacts of a government closure on security operations,” the county executive said, adding that the message was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “erodes customer confidence.”

DHS Reply

A DHS assistant secretary, an agency representative, echoed Noem’s wording to blame “partisan tactics” in a response, stating that “Democratic leaders will soon recognize the importance of opening the federal government.”

Bipartisan Calls for Resolution

The Seattle authority said that it continued to “encourage cooperative actions to resolve the government shutdown” and was working to find ways to assist government workers working without pay during the shutdown.