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Several key international air travel hubs across the US, such as Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas in NC, have decided to restrict a public service announcement from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that faults Democratic lawmakers for the current federal government shutdown from playing at their security checkpoints.

Legal Issues Cited by Aviation Authorities

Airport officials in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester County have refused to show the video content at screening areas, stating that the clearly partisan content could violate federal and state regulations, such as the Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from engaging in political campaigning.

“Democrats in Congress decline to finance the federal government, and as a result, many of our functions are affected, and most of our TSA workers are not receiving wages,” Noem said in the video.

Portland Reaction

The Portland airport authority explained that it “would not agree to playing the video in its present version, as we consider the Hatch Act clearly prohibits utilization of government resources for political purposes.” It added that state regulations in Oregon prohibits government staff from promoting or opposing any party affiliation and that consenting to play this video would break state law.

Harry Reid International Position

The Harry Reid airport also refused to display the security announcement on comparable reasons, stating in a release that “its content included partisan statements that did not align with the neutral, informational nature of the public service announcements typically displayed at checkpoint screens” and also referenced the Hatch Act.

Explaining the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act of 1939 is a federal law that prohibits partisan actions by government employees to ensure that public services stay non-partisan.

Further Authority Responses

• Phoenix Sky Harbor international airport stated that it “declined to post the PSA” to stay “consistent with airport policy,” which does not allow political content.
• The Port of Seattle, which manages Sea-Tac airport, similarly refused, citing “the partisan tone of the content.”
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport clarified that state municipal law and the airport’s policy for digital content “do not permit the referenced video.” The airport also noted that the Transportation Security Administration lacks ownership of any monitors at its security areas and that its few display monitors are designated for wayfinding, travel information, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester Objection

Westchester County, in a statement, called the video “unacceptable, unacceptable, and inconsistent with the values we anticipate from our nation’s top public officials.”

“The public service announcement politicizes the impacts of a government closure on TSA operations,” the county executive stated, noting that the message was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “undermines customer confidence.”

DHS Response

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

Bipartisan Calls for Resolution

The Seattle authority commented that it continued to “urge cooperative actions to resolve the federal closure” and was striving to identify methods to support government workers unpaid during the closure.