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A number of key international air travel hubs across the US, among them Phoenix Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas in NC, have decided to restrict a video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that faults Democratic lawmakers for the continuing government closure from being shown at their checkpoint areas.

Legal Issues Raised by Aviation Officials

Airport authorities in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, and Westchester, New York have declined to display the video content at security checkpoints, stating that the overtly political messaging could violate federal and state regulations, such as the Hatch Act, which bars government workers from engaging in political campaigning.

“Democratic legislators refuse to finance the U.S. government, and because of this, many of our functions are disrupted, and most of our Transportation Security Administration workers are unpaid,” the Secretary said in the video.

Portland Response

The Port of Portland 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 political purposes.” It added that state regulations in Oregon prohibits public employees from supporting or criticizing any party affiliation and that consenting to broadcast this video would violate Oregon law.

Harry Reid International Position

The Harry Reid airport also declined to display the TSA video on similar grounds, saying in a release that “its content included partisan statements that did not align with the impartial, educational purpose of the PSAs typically displayed at security checkpoints” and also cited the federal act.

Explaining the Hatch Act Regulations

The Hatch Act is a federal law that bans political activities by government employees to ensure that public services stay impartial.

Further Authority Responses

• Phoenix airport 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, also declined, pointing to “the political nature of the video.”
• Charlotte airport clarified that state local regulations and the airport's rules for screen content “do not permit the video in question.” The airport also added that the Transportation Security Administration does not own any monitors at its checkpoints and that its limited digital screens are designated for wayfinding, travel information, and paid advertisements.

Westchester County Objection

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

“The public service announcement politicizes the impacts of a federal government shutdown on security operations,” the county leader stated, noting that the message was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “undermines customer confidence.”

Homeland Security Reply

A DHS official, Tricia McLaughlin, echoed the Secretary's wording to attribute fault to “political gamesmanship” in a statement, stating that “Democrats will shortly realize the importance of opening the government.”

Bipartisan Appeals for Resolution

The Seattle authority said that it continued to “urge bipartisan efforts to resolve the government shutdown” and was striving to find methods to support government workers unpaid during the shutdown.