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Several prominent global air travel hubs across the America, including Phoenix Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas in North Carolina, have chosen to restrict a video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that faults Democratic lawmakers for the continuing federal government shutdown from airing at their screening locations.

Regulatory Issues Cited by Airport Officials

Airport authorities in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester, New York have refused to show the footage at security checkpoints, stating that the political statements could breach state and federal law, including the Hatch Act of 1939, which bars government workers from participating in partisan actions.

“Democrats in Congress 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 unpaid,” Noem remarked in the announcement.

Portland Reaction

The Port of Portland clarified that it “did not consent to playing the PSA in its current form, as we maintain the Hatch Act clearly prohibits use of public assets for partisan messaging.” It added that Oregon law bars government staff from supporting or criticizing any political party and that agreeing to play this content would violate Oregon law.

Las Vegas Statement

Las Vegas's Harry Reid airport also declined to display the TSA video on similar grounds, saying in a statement that “its content contained partisan statements that was inconsistent with the neutral, educational nature of the PSAs usually displayed at security checkpoints” and also referenced the federal act.

Explaining the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act of 1939 is a federal law that bans partisan actions by federal employees to guarantee that government programs remain impartial.

Additional Airport Responses

• Phoenix Sky Harbor international airport explained that it “refused to display the PSA” to remain “in line with airport guidelines,” which prohibits political content.
• The Seattle port authority, which manages Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, similarly refused, citing “the partisan tone of the content.”
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport clarified that North Carolina municipal law and the airport’s policy for screen content “do not permit the referenced video.” The airport also added that the TSA lacks ownership of any screens at its checkpoints and that its limited digital screens are designated for directions, travel information, and paid advertisements.

Westchester Objection

Westchester County, in a public comment, called the video “unacceptable, unacceptable, and inconsistent with the values we anticipate from our federal leaders.”

“The PSA makes political the impacts of a government closure on TSA operations,” the county executive stated, adding that the message was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “undermines public trust.”

Homeland Security Response

A Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, an agency representative, echoed the Secretary's language to attribute fault to “partisan tactics” in a response, adding that “Democrats will shortly recognize the significance of opening the federal government.”

Bipartisan Appeals for Solution

The Port of Seattle said that it continued to “encourage bipartisan efforts to end the federal closure” and was working to identify methods to assist federal employees unpaid during the shutdown.