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A number of major global air travel hubs across the United States, such as Phoenix Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas in NC, have opted to prevent a video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that attributes responsibility to Democrats for the ongoing federal government shutdown from being shown at their security checkpoints.

Legal Concerns Raised by Aviation Authorities

Airport officials in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester, New York have declined to display the video content at screening areas, stating that the political statements could breach state and federal law, such as the Hatch Act of 1939, which bars government workers from engaging in partisan actions.

“Democratic legislators refuse to finance the U.S. government, and as a result, many of our functions are affected, and most of our Transportation Security Administration employees are unpaid,” the Secretary said in the announcement.

The Port of Portland Reaction

The Portland airport authority explained that it “would not agree to playing the PSA in its current form, as we believe the Hatch Act clearly prohibits use of public assets for partisan messaging.” The port further stated that Oregon law bars government staff from supporting or criticizing any party affiliation and that agreeing to broadcast this content would violate Oregon law.

Harry Reid International Statement

The Harry Reid airport also declined to display the security announcement on comparable reasons, noting in a statement that “its content included partisan statements that did not align with the impartial, informational nature of the PSAs typically displayed at security checkpoints” and also cited the federal act.

Explaining the Hatch Act

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

Further Airport Rejections

• Phoenix airport airport explained that it “refused to post the video” to stay “in line with airport guidelines,” which does not allow partisan material.
• The Port of Seattle, which operates Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, also declined, pointing to “the political nature of the content.”
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport said that state municipal law and the airport's rules for screen content “do not allow the video in question.” The airport also added that the TSA 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

Westchester County, in a public comment, called the PSA “inappropriate, improper, and out of line with the values we expect from our federal leaders.”

“The PSA politicizes the effects of a government closure on security operations,” the county leader stated, noting that the message was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “undermines customer confidence.”

Homeland Security Response

A DHS assistant secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, echoed the Secretary's wording to blame “political gamesmanship” in a response, adding that “Democrats will shortly recognize the significance of opening the government.”

Bipartisan Calls for Solution

The Port of Seattle said that it continued to “urge bipartisan efforts to end the federal closure” and was striving to find ways to support government workers unpaid during the closure.