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Several major international air travel hubs across the America, among them Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas in NC, have opted to prevent a video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that blames Democratic lawmakers for the continuing government closure from being shown at their screening locations.

Regulatory Issues Raised by Aviation Officials

Airport officials in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Charlotte, and Westchester County have declined to show the video content at screening areas, stating that the political statements could violate state and federal law, including the Hatch Act of 1939, which forbids government workers from engaging in partisan actions.

“Democratic legislators refuse to fund the federal government, and because of this, many of our activities are affected, and most of our TSA employees are working without pay,” the Secretary remarked in the video.

Portland Reaction

The Portland airport authority clarified that it “did not consent to playing the video in its current form, as we maintain the federal law explicitly forbids use of public assets for political purposes.” It added that Oregon law prohibits government staff from supporting or criticizing any party affiliation and that consenting to play this video would break state law.

Las Vegas Statement

Las Vegas's Harry Reid airport also declined to display the TSA video on similar grounds, saying in a statement that “the video's message included political messaging that was inconsistent with the impartial, educational purpose of the public service announcements typically displayed at checkpoint screens” and also cited the Hatch Act.

Understanding the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act is a U.S. law that bans political activities by government employees to guarantee that public services remain impartial.

Additional Authority Rejections

• Phoenix Sky Harbor airport stated that it “refused to display the video” to stay “in line with airport policy,” which prohibits partisan material.
• The Seattle port authority, which manages Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, similarly declined, pointing to “the partisan tone of the content.”
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport clarified that state local regulations and the airport’s policy for screen content “do not permit the referenced video.” The authority also added that the Transportation Security Administration does not own any screens at its checkpoints and that its few digital screens are designated for directions, travel information, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester County Objection

The county, in a public comment, described the video “unacceptable, unacceptable, and out of line with the values 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 said, noting that the message was “overly alarming” and “undermines public trust.”

Homeland Security Response

A Department of Homeland Security official, an agency representative, repeated the Secretary's language to attribute fault to “partisan tactics” in a response, adding that “Democrats will soon recognize the significance of reopening the federal government.”

Cross-Party Calls for Resolution

The Seattle authority said that it continued to “encourage cooperative actions to end the government shutdown” and was working to find ways to assist federal employees working without pay during the shutdown.