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Several prominent international airports across the United States, including Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in NC, have opted to prevent a video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that faults Democratic lawmakers for the continuing government closure from playing at their security checkpoints.

Legal Issues Raised by Aviation Authorities

Airport officials in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, and Westchester County have declined to broadcast the video content at screening areas, stating that the overtly political messaging could breach federal and state regulations, including the Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from participating in partisan actions.

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

Portland Reaction

The Port of Portland clarified that it “would not agree to displaying the PSA in its current form, as we believe the federal law clearly prohibits use of public assets for partisan messaging.” The port further stated that Oregon law prohibits public employees from promoting or opposing any party affiliation and that consenting to broadcast this video would break state law.

Las Vegas Position

Las Vegas's Harry Reid airport also refused to show the security announcement on similar grounds, saying in a release that “its content included political messaging that was inconsistent with the neutral, informational nature of the public service announcements typically displayed at checkpoint screens” and also referenced the Hatch Act.

Understanding the Hatch Act

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

Additional Airport Rejections

• Phoenix Sky Harbor international airport stated that it “declined to post the PSA” to remain “in line with airport guidelines,” which does not allow partisan material.
• The Seattle port authority, which manages Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, also declined, citing “the partisan tone of the content.”
• Charlotte airport said that state local regulations and the airport's rules for digital content “do not allow the referenced video.” The airport also added that the Transportation Security Administration does not own any screens at its checkpoints and that its limited digital screens are reserved for directions, travel information, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester County Criticism

Westchester County, in a statement, called the video “inappropriate, improper, and out of line with the values we expect from our nation’s top public officials.”

“The PSA makes political the impacts of a government closure on security operations,” the county executive stated, adding that the tone was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “undermines public trust.”

Homeland Security Reply

A DHS official, Tricia McLaughlin, echoed Noem’s wording to attribute fault to “partisan tactics” in a statement, adding that “Democrats will shortly recognize the importance of reopening the federal government.”

Cross-Party Appeals for Resolution

The Port of Seattle said that it continued to “urge bipartisan efforts to resolve the federal closure” and was working to find methods to assist federal employees unpaid during the closure.