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Several major global air travel hubs across the America, such as Phoenix Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in NC, have decided to prevent a video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that attributes responsibility to Democrats for the continuing government closure from playing at their checkpoint areas.

Legal Issues Cited by Aviation Officials

Airport officials in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester, New York have declined to broadcast the footage at security checkpoints, stating that the political statements could breach state and federal law, including the Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from participating in partisan political activity.

“Congressional Democrats decline to fund the federal government, and as a result, many of our functions are affected, and most of our TSA employees are working without pay,” the Secretary remarked in the video.

The Port of Portland Response

The Portland airport authority explained that it “would not agree to playing the video in its present version, as we consider the federal law clearly prohibits use of public assets for political purposes.” It added that state regulations in Oregon bars government staff from supporting or criticizing 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 display the TSA video on comparable reasons, saying in a release that “the video's message contained political messaging that was inconsistent with the impartial, educational nature of the PSAs usually shown at checkpoint screens” and also cited the Hatch Act.

Understanding the Hatch Act Regulations

The Hatch Act of 1939 is a U.S. law that forbids partisan actions by government employees to guarantee that public services stay unbiased.

Additional Authority Responses

• Phoenix airport international airport explained that it “declined to display the PSA” to stay “consistent with airport policy,” which does not allow partisan material.
• The Port of Seattle, which manages Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, also refused, citing “the political nature of the content.”
• Charlotte airport said that North Carolina local regulations and the airport's rules for screen content “do not allow the referenced video.” The authority also added that the TSA lacks ownership of any monitors at its checkpoints and that its limited display monitors are designated for directions, travel information, and paid advertisements.

Westchester County Objection

The county, in a public comment, described the video “unacceptable, improper, and out of line with the standards we anticipate from our nation’s top public officials.”

“The PSA politicizes the impacts of a federal government shutdown on TSA operations,” the county leader said, noting that the tone was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “undermines customer confidence.”

Homeland Security Reply

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

Cross-Party Appeals for Solution

The Seattle authority commented that it continued to “encourage cooperative actions to resolve the government shutdown” and was working to identify ways to support government workers unpaid during the closure.