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A number of key international air travel hubs across the United States, such as Phoenix Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in NC, have chosen to restrict a public service announcement from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that attributes responsibility to Democrats for the current federal government shutdown from airing at their checkpoint areas.

Legal Concerns Raised by Aviation Officials

Airport authorities in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, and Westchester, New York have declined to broadcast the video content at screening areas, stating that the political statements could contravene state and federal law, including the Hatch Act, which forbids federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity.

“Congressional Democrats refuse to finance the U.S. government, and as a result, many of our functions are disrupted, and most of our Transportation Security Administration staff are unpaid,” Noem remarked in the video.

The Port of Portland Response

The Portland airport authority noted that it “would not agree to airing the PSA in its current form, as we believe the Hatch Act clearly prohibits use of public assets for political purposes.” It added that state regulations in Oregon bars government staff from promoting or opposing any party affiliation and that consenting to play this content would violate Oregon law.

Las Vegas Statement

The Harry Reid airport also refused to display the TSA video on comparable reasons, noting in a release that “the video's message contained partisan statements that did not align with the neutral, educational nature of the PSAs typically displayed at checkpoint screens” and also referenced the federal act.

Understanding the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act is a U.S. law that bans partisan actions by federal employees to guarantee that public services stay unbiased.

Additional Airport Rejections

• Phoenix airport airport stated that it “declined to display the PSA” to stay “consistent with airport guidelines,” which prohibits partisan material.
• The Port of Seattle, which operates Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, also refused, citing “the political nature of the video.”
• Charlotte airport clarified that state municipal law and the airport’s policy for digital content “do not allow the referenced video.” The authority also noted that the TSA does not own any monitors at its checkpoints and that its limited digital screens are reserved for directions, flight updates, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester Criticism

The county, in a statement, called the PSA “unacceptable, unacceptable, and inconsistent with the values we anticipate from our federal leaders.”

“The public service announcement makes political the effects of a government closure on TSA operations,” the county executive said, noting that the tone was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “undermines public trust.”

Homeland Security Reply

A DHS official, an agency representative, repeated Noem’s wording to attribute fault to “partisan tactics” in a response, stating that “Democrats will shortly realize the importance of reopening the government.”

Bipartisan Appeals for Solution

The Port of Seattle commented that it continued to “encourage bipartisan efforts to end the federal closure” and was working to identify ways to assist federal employees unpaid during the closure.