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Several major international airports across the America, including Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in North Carolina, have opted to restrict a video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that blames Democratic lawmakers for the continuing government closure from airing at their checkpoint areas.

Regulatory Issues Cited by Airport Officials

Airport authorities in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Portland, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester, New York have declined to display the footage at screening areas, stating that the political statements could contravene federal and state regulations, including the Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity.

“Democrats in Congress refuse to fund the federal government, and as a result, many of our operations are impacted, and most of our Transportation Security Administration employees are unpaid,” the Secretary remarked in the video.

The Port of Portland Response

The Portland airport authority explained that it “would not agree to airing the video in its current form, as we maintain the Hatch Act explicitly forbids utilization of government resources for political purposes.” The port further stated that state regulations in Oregon bars government staff from promoting or opposing any party affiliation and that consenting to play this video would violate state law.

Harry Reid International Position

The Harry Reid airport also declined to show the security announcement on comparable reasons, saying in a release that “the video's message included partisan statements that was inconsistent with the neutral, educational nature of the PSAs typically displayed at security checkpoints” and also cited the Hatch Act.

Explaining the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act of 1939 is a federal law that prohibits partisan actions by federal employees to ensure that public services remain impartial.

Further Authority Rejections

• Phoenix Sky Harbor airport explained that it “refused to post the PSA” to remain “in line with airport policy,” which does not allow partisan material.
• The Port of Seattle, which manages Sea-Tac airport, also declined, pointing to “the political nature of the content.”
• Charlotte airport clarified that North Carolina municipal law and the airport’s policy for screen content “do not permit the referenced video.” The airport also noted that the Transportation Security Administration does not own any monitors at its checkpoints and that its few digital screens are designated for directions, travel information, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester Objection

Westchester County, in a statement, described the PSA “unacceptable, improper, and inconsistent with the values we expect from our nation’s top public officials.”

“The public service announcement politicizes the effects of a federal government shutdown on TSA operations,” the county executive stated, noting that the tone was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “erodes customer confidence.”

Homeland Security Reply

A Department of Homeland Security official, an agency representative, repeated Noem’s wording to attribute fault to “political gamesmanship” in a response, stating that “Democratic leaders will soon realize the significance of opening the government.”

Bipartisan Calls for Solution

The Port of Seattle said that it continued to “urge cooperative actions to resolve the federal closure” and was striving to find methods to assist government workers working without pay during the shutdown.