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Several key international air travel hubs across the America, including Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in NC, have chosen to prevent a public service announcement from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that attributes responsibility to Democrats for the current government closure from being shown at their checkpoint areas.

Legal Issues Cited by Airport Authorities

Airport authorities in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Charlotte, and Westchester, New York have declined to show the video content at security checkpoints, stating that the clearly partisan content could breach state and federal law, such as the Hatch Act of 1939, which bars government workers from engaging in political campaigning.

“Congressional Democrats decline to fund the federal government, and because of this, many of our operations are impacted, and most of our TSA staff are unpaid,” the Secretary stated in the video.

The Port of Portland Reaction

The Port of Portland noted that it “did not consent to playing the video in its present version, as we believe the Hatch Act explicitly forbids utilization of government resources for partisan messaging.” It added that state regulations in Oregon bars government staff from supporting or criticizing any party affiliation and that consenting to broadcast this video would break Oregon law.

Harry Reid International Statement

The Harry Reid International Airport also refused to display the TSA video on comparable reasons, stating in a statement that “the video's message contained political messaging that did not align with the impartial, educational purpose of the public service announcements usually shown at security checkpoints” and also referenced the federal act.

Understanding the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act of 1939 is a federal law that forbids partisan actions by federal employees to guarantee that government programs remain non-partisan.

Further Authority Responses

• Phoenix airport international airport explained that it “declined to display the PSA” to remain “consistent with airport policy,” which does not allow partisan material.
• The Seattle port authority, which manages Sea-Tac airport, similarly refused, citing “the political nature of the video.”
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport clarified that state municipal law and the airport’s policy for screen content “do not permit the referenced video.” The authority also noted that the Transportation Security Administration lacks ownership of any monitors at its security areas and that its limited digital screens are reserved for directions, travel information, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester County Criticism

The county, in a statement, called the video “unacceptable, improper, and out of line with the standards we anticipate from our nation’s top public officials.”

“The PSA makes political the impacts of a federal government shutdown on TSA operations,” the county leader stated, adding that the tone was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “undermines public trust.”

Homeland Security Response

A DHS official, an agency representative, repeated Noem’s wording to attribute fault to “partisan tactics” in a response, adding that “Democrats will shortly recognize the importance of opening the federal government.”

Cross-Party Appeals for Resolution

The Seattle authority commented that it continued to “encourage cooperative actions to resolve the federal closure” and was striving to identify ways to support government workers working without pay during the closure.