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A number of key global airports across the America, including Phoenix Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in NC, have opted to prevent a public service announcement from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that attributes responsibility to Democrats for the ongoing government closure from playing at their screening locations.

Regulatory Concerns Cited by Airport Authorities

Aviation administrators in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Charlotte, and Westchester, New York have refused to show the footage at security checkpoints, stating that the clearly partisan content could contravene state and federal law, including the Hatch Act of 1939, which prohibits government workers from engaging in partisan actions.

“Democrats in Congress refuse to support funding for the federal government, and as a result, many of our functions are affected, and most of our Transportation Security Administration staff are working without pay,” Noem stated in the announcement.

Portland Reaction

The Portland airport authority explained that it “would not agree to airing the PSA in its current form, as we consider the federal law explicitly forbids use of public assets for partisan messaging.” It added that state regulations in Oregon bars public employees from supporting or criticizing any political party and that agreeing to play this video would violate Oregon law.

Las Vegas Statement

Las Vegas's Harry Reid International Airport also declined to show the TSA video on similar grounds, saying in a release that “its content contained partisan statements that was inconsistent with the neutral, educational purpose of the public service announcements usually displayed at checkpoint screens” and also cited the federal act.

Understanding the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act of 1939 is a federal law that forbids political activities by federal employees to guarantee that public services stay non-partisan.

Additional Authority Rejections

• Phoenix airport international airport stated that it “refused to post the video” to stay “consistent with airport policy,” which prohibits political content.
• The Port of Seattle, which operates Sea-Tac airport, also declined, pointing to “the political nature of the content.”
• Charlotte airport said that state municipal law and the airport’s policy for digital content “do not allow the referenced video.” The authority also noted that the Transportation Security Administration lacks ownership of any screens at its checkpoints and that its few display monitors are designated for wayfinding, travel information, and paid advertisements.

Westchester Objection

Westchester County, in a public comment, called the PSA “inappropriate, 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 security operations,” the county executive stated, noting that the tone was “overly alarming” and “erodes public trust.”

Homeland Security Reply

A Department of Homeland Security official, Tricia McLaughlin, echoed the Secretary's wording to blame “partisan tactics” in a statement, stating that “Democrats will shortly realize the significance of reopening the government.”

Bipartisan Calls for Resolution

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