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A number of key global airports across the US, including Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in North Carolina, have opted to block a video from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that attributes responsibility to Democrats for the continuing government closure from playing at their screening locations.

Legal Issues Raised by Aviation Officials

Aviation administrators in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, and Westchester, New York have declined to show the footage at security checkpoints, stating that the clearly partisan content could violate federal and state regulations, such as the Hatch Act of 1939, which bars federal employees from engaging in partisan actions.

“Democratic legislators decline to finance the U.S. government, and because of this, many of our functions are affected, and most of our Transportation Security Administration staff are working without pay,” Noem stated in the video.

Portland Response

The Portland airport authority explained that it “would not agree to displaying the video in its current form, as we maintain the Hatch Act clearly prohibits utilization of government resources for partisan messaging.” It added that Oregon law bars public employees from promoting or opposing any party affiliation and that agreeing to play this content would violate state law.

Las Vegas Position

The Harry Reid International Airport also refused to show the TSA video on comparable reasons, stating in a release that “the video's message contained political messaging that did not align with the impartial, educational purpose of the PSAs usually displayed at checkpoint screens” and also referenced the federal act.

Understanding the Hatch Act Regulations

The Hatch Act of 1939 is a federal law that bans partisan actions by federal employees to guarantee that public services remain non-partisan.

Further Authority Rejections

• Phoenix Sky Harbor international airport stated that it “declined to post the PSA” to stay “in line with airport guidelines,” which does not allow partisan material.
• The Port of Seattle, which manages Sea-Tac airport, similarly refused, citing “the political nature of the video.”
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport clarified that state municipal law and the airport’s policy for screen content “do not permit the referenced video.” The authority also added that the TSA does not own any screens at its checkpoints and that its few digital screens are reserved for wayfinding, travel information, and paid advertisements.

Westchester Objection

The county, in a public comment, described the video “inappropriate, improper, and inconsistent with the values we expect from our nation’s top public officials.”

“The PSA politicizes the impacts of a federal government shutdown on TSA operations,” the county executive stated, noting that the tone was “overly alarming” and “erodes public trust.”

Homeland Security Reply

A DHS official, an agency representative, repeated Noem’s language to blame “partisan tactics” in a statement, stating that “Democratic leaders will soon realize the importance of opening the federal government.”

Bipartisan Calls for Solution

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