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Several major global airports across the US, among them Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in NC, have opted to block a video from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that attributes responsibility to Democrats for the current federal government shutdown from being shown at their security checkpoints.

Regulatory Issues Raised by Aviation Officials

Airport officials in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, and Westchester, New York have refused to broadcast the video content at screening areas, stating that the political statements could breach federal and state regulations, including the Hatch Act of 1939, which prohibits government workers from participating in partisan actions.

“Democratic legislators decline to finance the U.S. government, and as a result, many of our operations are impacted, and most of our Transportation Security Administration staff are working without pay,” Noem remarked in the video.

Portland Reaction

The Port of Portland clarified that it “did not consent to displaying the PSA in its current form, as we believe the Hatch Act explicitly forbids utilization of government resources for political aims.” The port further stated that Oregon law prohibits government staff from promoting or opposing any party affiliation and that consenting to play this video would break state law.

Harry Reid International Position

The Harry Reid International Airport also refused to display the TSA video on similar grounds, saying in a release that “its content contained partisan statements that did not align with the neutral, educational nature of the PSAs typically displayed at security checkpoints” and also referenced the federal act.

Explaining the Hatch Act Regulations

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

Further Airport Rejections

• Phoenix airport airport explained that it “declined to display the PSA” to stay “in line with airport guidelines,” which prohibits partisan material.
• The Port of Seattle, which manages Sea-Tac airport, also refused, pointing to “the partisan tone of the content.”
• Charlotte airport clarified that state municipal law and the airport's rules for screen content “do not permit the referenced video.” The airport also noted that the TSA does not own any monitors at its checkpoints and that its limited display monitors are designated for wayfinding, travel information, and paid advertisements.

Westchester County Criticism

The county, in a public comment, called the video “inappropriate, improper, and inconsistent with the values we expect from our federal leaders.”

“The PSA politicizes the impacts of a federal government shutdown on security operations,” the county executive said, noting that the tone was “overly alarming” and “erodes customer confidence.”

Homeland Security Reply

A DHS assistant secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, repeated the Secretary's wording to attribute fault to “partisan tactics” in a response, adding that “Democrats will shortly realize the significance of reopening the government.”

Bipartisan Calls for Solution

The Seattle authority commented that it continued to “encourage cooperative actions to resolve the government shutdown” and was working to identify methods to assist federal employees working without pay during the closure.