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Several prominent international air travel hubs across the America, among them Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas in NC, have decided to block a video from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that faults Democrats for the current government closure from playing at their screening locations.

Regulatory Issues Raised by Airport Authorities

Airport officials in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, and Westchester County have refused to display the footage at screening areas, stating that the clearly partisan content could violate federal and state regulations, including the Hatch Act, which forbids federal employees from participating in partisan actions.

“Democratic legislators decline to finance the federal government, and because of this, many of our operations are affected, and most of our TSA employees are not receiving wages,” Noem stated in the announcement.

The Port of Portland Reaction

The Portland airport authority noted that it “would not agree to airing the video in its present version, as we maintain the Hatch Act explicitly forbids utilization of government resources for political purposes.” It added that Oregon law prohibits public employees from promoting or opposing any political party and that consenting to play this content would violate state law.

Las Vegas Statement

Las Vegas's Harry Reid International Airport also declined to display the security announcement on comparable reasons, noting in a statement that “its content included political messaging that did not align with the impartial, informational nature of the public service announcements typically shown at security checkpoints” and also referenced the federal act.

Understanding the Hatch Act

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

Additional Authority Responses

• Phoenix Sky Harbor airport explained that it “declined to post the video” to remain “consistent with airport guidelines,” which prohibits partisan material.
• The Port of Seattle, which manages Sea-Tac airport, also refused, pointing to “the political nature of the content.”
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport said that state local regulations and the airport's rules for digital content “do not allow the video in question.” The authority also noted that the Transportation Security Administration does not own any screens at its security areas and that its limited digital screens are reserved for directions, flight updates, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester County Objection

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

“The public service announcement makes political the impacts of a government closure on security operations,” the county leader stated, adding that the tone was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “undermines public trust.”

DHS Reply

A Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, an agency representative, repeated the Secretary's wording to attribute fault to “partisan tactics” in a response, stating that “Democrats will shortly realize the significance of opening the government.”

Cross-Party Appeals for Solution

The Seattle authority said that it continued to “encourage cooperative actions to end the federal closure” and was working to find ways to assist federal employees unpaid during the closure.