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Several key international airports 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 chosen to restrict a public service announcement from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that faults Democratic lawmakers for the ongoing government closure from being shown at their checkpoint areas.

Legal Issues Raised by Aviation Authorities

Aviation administrators in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester, New York have refused to broadcast the video content at security checkpoints, stating that the overtly political messaging could breach state and federal law, such as the Hatch Act of 1939, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in partisan actions.

“Democrats in Congress decline to finance the U.S. government, and as a result, many of our activities are disrupted, and most of our Transportation Security Administration staff are unpaid,” Noem remarked in the announcement.

The Port of Portland Reaction

The Port of Portland explained that it “did not consent to playing the video in its current form, as we maintain the Hatch Act clearly prohibits use of public assets for partisan messaging.” The port further stated that Oregon law prohibits government staff from promoting or opposing any party affiliation and that agreeing to broadcast this content would break state law.

Las Vegas Statement

Las Vegas's Harry Reid airport also declined to show the TSA video on similar grounds, stating in a release that “the video's message contained partisan statements that was inconsistent with the neutral, educational nature of the PSAs typically shown at security checkpoints” and also referenced the federal act.

Explaining the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act is a federal law that forbids partisan actions by federal employees to guarantee that public services remain impartial.

Further Airport Rejections

• Phoenix Sky Harbor international airport stated that it “declined to post the video” to remain “consistent with airport policy,” which prohibits 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 municipal law and the airport’s policy for screen content “do not permit the referenced video.” The airport also added that the Transportation Security Administration lacks ownership of any screens at its security areas and that its limited display monitors are designated for wayfinding, travel information, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester County Criticism

Westchester County, in a statement, called the video “unacceptable, improper, and inconsistent with the values we expect from our federal leaders.”

“The public service announcement politicizes the effects of a government closure on TSA operations,” the county executive said, adding that the tone was “overly alarming” and “undermines customer confidence.”

Homeland Security Response

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

Bipartisan Appeals for Solution

The Seattle authority commented that it continued to “encourage bipartisan efforts to resolve the federal closure” and was striving to find methods to support government workers working without pay during the shutdown.