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Several prominent global airports across the US, including Phoenix Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas in North Carolina, have chosen to prevent a video from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that blames Democrats for the current federal government shutdown from being shown at their checkpoint areas.

Regulatory Concerns Raised by Aviation Officials

Airport officials in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, and Westchester County have refused to display the footage at security checkpoints, stating that the overtly political messaging could contravene state and federal law, such as the Hatch Act of 1939, which bars federal employees from engaging in partisan actions.

“Democratic legislators decline to fund the U.S. government, and as a result, many of our activities are affected, and most of our TSA workers are unpaid,” Noem remarked in the video.

The Port of Portland Reaction

The Port of Portland explained that it “did not consent to displaying the video in its current form, as we maintain the federal law clearly prohibits use of public assets for political purposes.” The port further stated that Oregon law bars public employees from promoting or opposing any party affiliation and that consenting to play this video would break state law.

Las Vegas Statement

The Harry Reid International Airport also refused to display the TSA video on similar grounds, saying in a release that “its content included partisan statements that did not align with the neutral, educational nature of the public service announcements typically displayed at checkpoint screens” and also cited the Hatch Act.

Explaining the Hatch Act Regulations

The Hatch Act is a federal law that bans political activities by federal employees to ensure that public services stay non-partisan.

Additional Airport Rejections

• Phoenix Sky Harbor international airport explained that it “declined to post the PSA” to stay “in line with airport guidelines,” which does not allow political content.
• The Port of Seattle, which operates Sea-Tac airport, similarly declined, citing “the political nature of the content.”
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport said that North Carolina local regulations and the airport’s policy for screen content “do not allow the video in question.” The authority also noted that the TSA does not own any screens at its checkpoints and that its few digital screens are reserved for directions, travel information, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester County Criticism

The county, in a statement, described the video “inappropriate, unacceptable, and out of line with the values we expect from our federal leaders.”

“The PSA makes political the impacts of a government closure on security operations,” the county leader said, adding that the tone was “overly alarming” and “erodes customer confidence.”

DHS Reply

A DHS assistant secretary, an agency representative, repeated the Secretary's wording to attribute fault to “political gamesmanship” in a response, adding that “Democrats will soon recognize the significance of opening the federal government.”

Cross-Party Calls for Resolution

The Seattle authority commented that it continued to “urge cooperative actions to end the federal closure” and was working to identify methods to support federal employees unpaid during the closure.