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A number of major global airports across the America, including Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas in North Carolina, have chosen to restrict a public service announcement from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that blames Democratic lawmakers for the current federal government shutdown from playing at their security checkpoints.

Legal Concerns Cited by Airport Officials

Airport authorities in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, and Westchester, New York have refused to broadcast the video content at screening areas, stating that the overtly political messaging could breach federal and state regulations, including the Hatch Act of 1939, which bars federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity.

“Congressional Democrats decline to finance the U.S. government, and because of this, many of our operations are affected, and most of our TSA staff are unpaid,” the Secretary stated in the video.

The Port of Portland Response

The Portland airport authority clarified that it “would not agree to displaying the video in its current form, as we consider the Hatch Act explicitly forbids utilization of government resources for political aims.” The port further stated that state regulations in Oregon prohibits government staff from supporting or criticizing 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 show the TSA video on comparable reasons, saying in a release that “the video's message contained political messaging that did not align with the neutral, educational purpose of the public service announcements usually shown at checkpoint screens” and also referenced the federal act.

Understanding the Hatch Act Regulations

The Hatch Act is a federal law that prohibits political activities by government employees to guarantee that public services remain unbiased.

Additional Authority Rejections

• Phoenix airport international airport explained that it “declined to post the PSA” to stay “in line with airport policy,” which does not allow political content.
• The Seattle port authority, which manages Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, also declined, pointing to “the political nature of the content.”
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport said that North Carolina local regulations and the airport's rules for digital content “do not allow the referenced video.” The authority also noted that the TSA does not own 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, called the video “unacceptable, unacceptable, and out of line with the standards we anticipate from our federal leaders.”

“The PSA politicizes the impacts of a government closure on security operations,” the county executive said, adding that the message was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “undermines customer confidence.”

DHS Reply

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

Bipartisan Calls for Resolution

The Port of Seattle commented that it continued to “urge cooperative actions to end the government shutdown” and was striving to identify ways to assist federal employees unpaid during the closure.