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Several prominent international air travel hubs across the America, among them Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in North Carolina, have decided to prevent a public service announcement from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that faults Democratic lawmakers for the current government closure from playing at their security checkpoints.

Legal Issues Cited by Airport Officials

Airport authorities in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester, New York have refused to display the footage at screening areas, stating that the overtly political messaging could violate state and federal law, including the Hatch Act of 1939, which prohibits government workers from participating in partisan actions.

“Democrats in Congress decline to finance the federal government, and as a result, many of our functions are affected, and most of our TSA staff are working without pay,” the Secretary stated in the announcement.

Portland Response

The Port of Portland explained that it “would not agree to displaying the video in its present version, as we believe the federal law clearly prohibits use of public assets for partisan messaging.” The port further stated that Oregon law prohibits government staff from supporting or criticizing any political party and that agreeing to broadcast this content would violate state law.

Harry Reid International Statement

Las Vegas's Harry Reid International Airport also declined to display the TSA video on similar grounds, stating in a statement that “the video's message included political messaging that was inconsistent with the impartial, informational nature of the PSAs usually displayed at security checkpoints” and also cited the Hatch Act.

Explaining the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act is a U.S. law that forbids political activities by government employees to guarantee that government programs remain unbiased.

Further Airport Rejections

• Phoenix Sky Harbor international airport stated that it “declined to display the PSA” to stay “consistent with airport policy,” which does not allow partisan material.
• The Seattle port authority, which operates Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, similarly refused, pointing to “the political nature of the video.”
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport clarified that North Carolina local regulations and the airport's rules for screen content “do not allow the referenced video.” The airport also added that the Transportation Security Administration does not own any monitors at its security areas and that its limited digital screens are reserved for directions, flight updates, and paid advertisements.

Westchester County Criticism

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

“The PSA politicizes the effects of a federal government shutdown on security operations,” the county leader stated, adding that the tone was “overly alarming” and “erodes public trust.”

Homeland Security Reply

A Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, an agency representative, echoed the Secretary's language to attribute fault to “political gamesmanship” in a statement, adding that “Democratic leaders will shortly realize the importance of opening the government.”

Bipartisan Calls for Resolution

The Port of Seattle commented that it continued to “encourage cooperative actions to end the government shutdown” and was working to identify methods to support federal employees working without pay during the shutdown.