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A number of major international air travel hubs across the United States, among them Phoenix Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas in North Carolina, have chosen to block a public service announcement from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that attributes responsibility to Democrats for the current government closure from playing at their checkpoint areas.

Regulatory Issues Raised by Airport Authorities

Airport officials in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, Charlotte, and Westchester, New York have refused to broadcast the footage at security checkpoints, stating that the overtly political messaging could violate federal and state regulations, such as the Hatch Act of 1939, which prohibits government workers from participating in partisan actions.

“Congressional Democrats refuse to fund the federal government, and as a result, many of our activities are disrupted, and most of our Transportation Security Administration staff are not receiving wages,” the Secretary stated in the video.

Portland Response

The Port of Portland clarified that it “would not agree to displaying the PSA in its present version, as we believe the federal law clearly prohibits utilization of government resources for partisan messaging.” It added that state regulations in Oregon bars government staff from promoting or opposing any political party and that agreeing to play this video would break Oregon law.

Harry Reid International Statement

The Harry Reid airport also declined to show the TSA video on similar grounds, stating in a statement that “its content included partisan statements that was inconsistent with the impartial, educational nature of the public service announcements usually shown at checkpoint screens” and also cited the federal act.

Understanding the Hatch Act Regulations

The Hatch Act of 1939 is a federal law that forbids partisan actions by federal employees to ensure that government programs stay impartial.

Further Authority Rejections

• Phoenix airport international airport stated that it “refused to display the video” to stay “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 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 Transportation Security Administration does not own any screens at its security areas and that its limited display monitors are reserved for wayfinding, flight updates, and paid advertisements.

Westchester County Objection

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

“The public service announcement politicizes the effects of a government closure on security operations,” the county executive said, adding that the message was “overly alarming” and “undermines customer confidence.”

DHS Response

A DHS assistant secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, repeated the Secretary's language to attribute fault to “political gamesmanship” in a statement, adding that “Democrats will soon realize the significance of opening the federal government.”

Bipartisan Calls for Solution

The Seattle authority commented that it continued to “urge bipartisan efforts to resolve the government shutdown” and was working to identify methods to assist government workers working without pay during the shutdown.