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Several key international air travel hubs across the America, such as Phoenix Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas in North Carolina, have opted to block a video from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that attributes responsibility to Democratic lawmakers for the continuing government closure from airing at their checkpoint areas.

Regulatory Concerns Raised by Aviation Authorities

Airport officials in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Portland, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester County have refused to broadcast the footage at screening areas, stating that the political statements could breach state and federal law, such as the Hatch Act, which bars government workers from participating in partisan actions.

“Democratic legislators decline to finance the federal government, and because of this, many of our operations are impacted, and most of our Transportation Security Administration staff are working without pay,” the Secretary remarked in the video.

Portland Response

The Port of Portland clarified that it “did not consent to airing the PSA in its present version, as we consider the federal law clearly prohibits use of public assets for political aims.” The port further stated that Oregon law prohibits public employees from supporting or criticizing any party affiliation and that agreeing to play this video would violate Oregon law.

Las Vegas Position

The Harry Reid International Airport also refused to show the TSA video on comparable reasons, saying in a statement that “its content included political messaging that did not align with the neutral, educational purpose of the public service announcements typically displayed at security checkpoints” and also referenced the Hatch Act.

Explaining the Hatch Act Regulations

The Hatch Act is a federal law that bans partisan actions by federal employees to ensure that public services remain impartial.

Further Authority Responses

• Phoenix airport international airport stated that it “refused to display the PSA” to stay “in line with airport policy,” which does not allow political content.
• The Seattle port authority, which manages Sea-Tac airport, also declined, citing “the political nature of the video.”
• Charlotte airport clarified that state local regulations and the airport’s policy for digital content “do not allow the referenced video.” The authority also added that the TSA does not own any monitors at its security areas and that its limited display monitors are reserved for wayfinding, travel information, and paid advertisements.

Westchester County Objection

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

“The PSA politicizes the impacts of a government closure on security operations,” the county leader said, noting that the message was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “undermines customer confidence.”

DHS Reply

A Department of Homeland Security official, an agency representative, repeated the Secretary's language to blame “political gamesmanship” in a statement, adding that “Democrats will shortly recognize the importance of opening the government.”

Bipartisan Appeals for Resolution

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