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A number of key global airports across the United States, such as Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas in North Carolina, have decided to restrict a video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that attributes responsibility to Democrats for the ongoing government closure from airing at their security checkpoints.

Legal Issues Raised by Airport Officials

Airport officials in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, and Westchester County have refused to display the footage at screening areas, stating that the overtly political messaging could breach federal and state regulations, such as the Hatch Act of 1939, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in partisan actions.

“Democratic legislators refuse to finance the federal government, and as a result, many of our operations are affected, and most of our Transportation Security Administration employees are unpaid,” the Secretary remarked in the announcement.

Portland Reaction

The Port of Portland explained that it “did not consent to playing the video in its present version, as we believe the Hatch Act explicitly forbids utilization of government resources for partisan messaging.” The port further stated that state regulations in Oregon prohibits government staff from promoting or opposing any political party and that consenting to play this video would violate Oregon law.

Harry Reid International Position

Las Vegas's Harry Reid airport also declined to show the TSA video on comparable reasons, noting in a statement that “its content included political messaging that was inconsistent with the neutral, educational purpose of the PSAs usually displayed at checkpoint screens” and also referenced the Hatch Act.

Understanding the Hatch Act Regulations

The Hatch Act is a federal law that bans political activities by federal employees to ensure that public services stay non-partisan.

Additional Authority Rejections

• Phoenix Sky Harbor airport explained that it “refused to post the video” to remain “consistent with airport guidelines,” which does not allow partisan material.
• The Seattle port authority, which operates Sea-Tac airport, also declined, citing “the partisan tone of the video.”
• Charlotte airport clarified that North Carolina municipal law and the airport’s policy for screen content “do not permit the video in question.” The airport also noted that the Transportation Security Administration lacks ownership of any monitors at its checkpoints and that its limited display monitors are reserved for directions, travel information, and paid advertisements.

Westchester Objection

The county, in a public comment, described the PSA “inappropriate, improper, and out of line with the values we anticipate from our federal leaders.”

“The public service announcement politicizes the effects of a government closure on TSA operations,” the county executive stated, noting that the tone was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “erodes public trust.”

Homeland Security Response

A Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, an agency representative, echoed the Secretary's language to attribute fault to “political gamesmanship” in a response, stating that “Democratic leaders will shortly realize the significance of opening the government.”

Cross-Party Appeals for Resolution

The Port of Seattle said that it continued to “encourage cooperative actions to resolve the government shutdown” and was striving to identify ways to assist federal employees unpaid during the shutdown.