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A number of prominent global airports across the America, such as Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas in North Carolina, have opted to prevent a video from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that blames Democratic lawmakers for the current government closure from being shown at their security checkpoints.

Legal Concerns Raised by Aviation Officials

Airport officials in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester County have declined to display the footage at screening areas, stating that the overtly political messaging could breach state and federal law, such as the Hatch Act, which bars government workers from participating in partisan political activity.

“Democratic legislators refuse to fund the federal government, and as a result, many of our operations are disrupted, and most of our Transportation Security Administration staff are not receiving wages,” the Secretary stated in the video.

Portland Response

The Port of Portland noted that it “did not consent to playing the video in its current form, as we believe the federal law explicitly forbids use of public assets for political purposes.” The port further stated that state regulations in Oregon prohibits government staff from promoting or opposing any political party and that consenting to broadcast this video would break state law.

Harry Reid International Position

The Harry Reid airport also refused to show the TSA video on similar grounds, noting in a statement that “the video's message contained partisan statements that was inconsistent with the impartial, informational nature of the PSAs usually shown at checkpoint screens” and also referenced the federal act.

Explaining the Hatch Act

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

Additional Authority Responses

• Phoenix airport airport explained that it “declined to post the PSA” to remain “consistent with airport policy,” which does not allow political content.
• The Seattle port authority, which operates Sea-Tac airport, similarly refused, citing “the political nature of the content.”
• Charlotte airport said that North Carolina local regulations and the airport's rules for digital content “do not permit the video in question.” The airport also added that the Transportation Security Administration lacks ownership of any screens at its security areas and that its few digital screens are designated for wayfinding, flight updates, and paid advertisements.

Westchester Criticism

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

“The public service announcement makes political the effects of a government closure on TSA operations,” the county executive stated, adding that the tone was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “undermines customer confidence.”

DHS Reply

A Department of Homeland Security official, Tricia McLaughlin, repeated the Secretary's language to attribute fault to “partisan tactics” in a statement, stating that “Democrats will shortly recognize the importance of reopening the federal government.”

Bipartisan Calls for Solution

The Port of Seattle commented that it continued to “encourage cooperative actions to end the government shutdown” and was working to find methods to assist government workers unpaid during the shutdown.