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A number of major international airports across the America, such as Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas in North Carolina, have chosen to restrict a video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that blames Democratic lawmakers for the continuing federal government shutdown from playing at their security checkpoints.

Legal Concerns Raised by Aviation Authorities

Airport authorities in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, and Westchester, New York have refused to broadcast the video content at security checkpoints, stating that the political statements could breach federal and state regulations, including the Hatch Act, which prohibits government workers from participating in political campaigning.

“Democrats in Congress refuse to finance the U.S. government, and because of this, many of our operations are disrupted, and most of our Transportation Security Administration employees are unpaid,” the Secretary stated in the video.

The Port of Portland Response

The Portland airport authority noted that it “did not consent to displaying the video in its present version, as we consider the federal law clearly prohibits utilization of government resources for political purposes.” The port further stated that Oregon law prohibits public employees from promoting or opposing any party affiliation and that consenting to play this content would violate Oregon law.

Harry Reid International Position

Las Vegas's Harry Reid International Airport also refused to display the TSA video on similar grounds, stating in a release that “the video's message included partisan statements that was inconsistent with the neutral, informational purpose of the public service announcements typically displayed at checkpoint screens” and also referenced the Hatch Act.

Explaining the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act is a U.S. law that forbids political activities by government employees to guarantee that public services remain impartial.

Additional Authority Responses

• Phoenix airport international airport explained that it “refused to post the video” to remain “in line with airport guidelines,” which does not allow political content.
• The Seattle port authority, which manages Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, also refused, pointing to “the political nature of the video.”
• Charlotte airport clarified that North Carolina municipal law and the airport's rules for digital content “do not allow the referenced video.” The airport also added that the Transportation Security Administration does not own any screens at its security areas and that its few display monitors are reserved for directions, flight updates, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester Objection

The county, in a statement, called the PSA “inappropriate, unacceptable, and inconsistent with the values we expect from our federal leaders.”

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

Homeland Security Reply

A Department of Homeland Security official, an agency representative, repeated Noem’s language to attribute fault to “partisan tactics” in a response, adding that “Democrats will soon realize the significance of opening the government.”

Bipartisan Calls for Solution

The Port of Seattle commented that it continued to “urge cooperative actions to resolve the federal closure” and was working to identify methods to assist federal employees unpaid during the shutdown.