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A number of major international air travel hubs across the America, such as Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in North Carolina, have opted to prevent a video from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that blames Democrats for the continuing government closure from playing at their checkpoint areas.

Regulatory Concerns Cited by Airport Officials

Airport authorities in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Portland, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester County have refused to broadcast the footage at security checkpoints, stating that the clearly partisan content could breach federal and state regulations, such as the Hatch Act, which forbids government workers from engaging in partisan actions.

“Democratic legislators decline to fund the federal government, and because of this, many of our activities are affected, and most of our Transportation Security Administration staff are not receiving wages,” Noem stated in the announcement.

Portland Response

The Portland airport authority noted that it “would not agree to displaying the PSA in its present version, as we consider the Hatch Act explicitly forbids utilization of government resources for political aims.” It added that state regulations in Oregon prohibits government staff from promoting or opposing any political party and that agreeing to broadcast this video would break Oregon law.

Harry Reid International Statement

The Harry Reid airport also refused to display the security announcement on comparable reasons, stating in a statement that “its content contained partisan statements that did not align with the neutral, educational purpose of the PSAs usually shown at security checkpoints” and also cited the Hatch Act.

Understanding the Hatch Act Regulations

The Hatch Act of 1939 is a U.S. law that bans partisan actions by government employees to guarantee that public services remain non-partisan.

Further Authority Rejections

• Phoenix airport international airport explained that it “declined to post the PSA” to stay “consistent with airport policy,” which prohibits political content.
• The Seattle port authority, which manages Sea-Tac airport, also refused, pointing to “the political nature of the content.”
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport clarified that North Carolina local regulations and the airport's rules for screen content “do not allow the referenced video.” The airport also noted that the Transportation Security Administration lacks ownership of any monitors at its checkpoints and that its few display monitors are designated for directions, flight updates, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester County Objection

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

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

DHS Reply

A Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, repeated Noem’s language to blame “partisan tactics” in a statement, adding that “Democrats will shortly realize the importance of opening the federal government.”

Cross-Party Calls for Solution

The Port of Seattle said that it continued to “urge cooperative actions to end the federal closure” and was striving to identify methods to support federal employees unpaid during the shutdown.