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A number of prominent international airports across the United States, such as Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in NC, have opted to prevent a public service announcement from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that attributes responsibility to Democratic lawmakers for the ongoing government closure from playing at their screening locations.

Regulatory Issues Raised by Aviation Authorities

Airport officials in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Portland, Charlotte, and Westchester County have refused to display the footage at security checkpoints, stating that the clearly partisan content could breach state and federal law, including the Hatch Act, which prohibits government workers from engaging in partisan political activity.

“Congressional Democrats refuse to finance the federal government, and because of this, many of our functions are impacted, and most of our TSA workers are working without pay,” Noem stated in the announcement.

The Port of Portland Response

The Portland airport authority explained that it “would not agree to displaying the PSA in its current form, as we consider the federal law clearly prohibits utilization of government resources for partisan messaging.” It added that Oregon law bars government staff from promoting or opposing any political party and that agreeing to play this content would break Oregon law.

Harry Reid International Position

The Harry Reid airport also declined to show the TSA video on comparable reasons, saying in a release that “its content included political messaging that was inconsistent with the neutral, informational purpose of the PSAs usually displayed at checkpoint screens” and also cited the federal act.

Understanding the Hatch Act Regulations

The Hatch Act is a federal law that forbids political activities by government employees to guarantee that public services stay impartial.

Additional Airport Responses

• Phoenix airport airport explained that it “refused to display the video” to stay “in line with airport policy,” which does not allow political content.
• The Port of Seattle, which manages Sea-Tac airport, similarly refused, citing “the political nature of the content.”
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport clarified that state municipal law and the airport’s policy for digital content “do not allow the referenced video.” The authority also added that the TSA lacks ownership of any monitors at its security areas and that its limited display monitors are designated for directions, travel information, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester Criticism

The county, in a public comment, described the video “inappropriate, 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 executive said, adding that the tone was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “undermines customer confidence.”

DHS Response

A Department of Homeland Security official, Tricia McLaughlin, repeated Noem’s wording to blame “political gamesmanship” in a response, adding that “Democrats will soon recognize the importance of reopening the government.”

Bipartisan Calls for Resolution

The Seattle authority commented that it continued to “urge bipartisan efforts to resolve the federal closure” and was striving to find methods to assist government workers unpaid during the closure.