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Several major international airports across the United States, among them Phoenix Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in North Carolina, have opted to block a public service announcement from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that faults Democrats for the current federal government shutdown from airing at their screening locations.

Legal Concerns Raised by Airport Authorities

Aviation administrators in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester County have refused to show the footage at screening areas, stating that the overtly political messaging could breach federal and state regulations, including the Hatch Act of 1939, which forbids government workers from engaging in partisan political activity.

“Congressional Democrats refuse to fund the federal government, and as a result, many of our activities are impacted, and most of our Transportation Security Administration staff are working without pay,” the Secretary said 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 maintain the Hatch Act clearly prohibits use of public assets for political aims.” It added that state regulations in Oregon bars government staff from promoting or opposing any political party and that agreeing to play this content would break state law.

Harry Reid International Position

Las Vegas's Harry Reid airport also refused to show the TSA video on comparable reasons, saying in a release that “the video's message contained political messaging that was inconsistent with the neutral, informational purpose of the PSAs usually displayed at security checkpoints” and also referenced the Hatch Act.

Explaining the Hatch Act Regulations

The Hatch Act is a U.S. law that bans political activities by federal employees to ensure that government programs remain unbiased.

Additional Authority Rejections

• Phoenix Sky Harbor airport stated that it “refused to display the PSA” to stay “consistent with airport guidelines,” which prohibits political content.
• The Port of Seattle, which operates Sea-Tac airport, similarly refused, citing “the partisan tone of the video.”
• Charlotte airport said that North Carolina local regulations and the airport's rules for digital content “do not allow the referenced video.” The authority also added that the TSA does not own any screens at its security areas and that its few display monitors are designated for wayfinding, travel information, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester Objection

The 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 effects of a government closure on security operations,” the county executive said, adding that the tone was “overly alarming” and “erodes customer confidence.”

DHS Response

A Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, an agency representative, repeated Noem’s language to blame “political gamesmanship” in a statement, stating that “Democrats will soon recognize the importance of opening the government.”

Bipartisan Calls for Resolution

The Seattle authority commented that it continued to “encourage cooperative actions to end the federal closure” and was striving to identify methods to support government workers working without pay during the closure.