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A number of prominent international air travel hubs across the America, among them Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in North Carolina, have opted to prevent a video from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that faults Democratic lawmakers for the continuing government closure from airing at their security checkpoints.

Regulatory Issues Cited by Airport Authorities

Aviation administrators in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester, New York have refused to broadcast the footage at security checkpoints, stating that the political statements could contravene federal and state regulations, including the Hatch Act of 1939, which bars government workers from participating in partisan political activity.

“Congressional Democrats decline to finance the U.S. government, and because of this, many of our functions are impacted, and most of our Transportation Security Administration employees are unpaid,” the Secretary said in the video.

Portland Reaction

The Portland airport authority clarified that it “did not consent to playing the PSA in its current form, as we maintain the federal law clearly prohibits utilization of government resources for political aims.” It added that Oregon law prohibits government staff from supporting or criticizing any party affiliation and that agreeing to broadcast this content would violate Oregon law.

Harry Reid International Position

Las Vegas's Harry Reid airport also declined to display the security announcement on comparable reasons, saying in a release that “the video's message contained political messaging that did not align with the neutral, informational nature of the PSAs typically shown at checkpoint screens” and also referenced the Hatch Act.

Understanding the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act is a federal law that bans political activities by federal employees to ensure that government programs stay non-partisan.

Further Airport Rejections

• Phoenix Sky Harbor airport stated that it “declined to post the video” to remain “in line with airport policy,” which prohibits political content.
• The Port of Seattle, which manages Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, also refused, pointing to “the political nature of the content.”
• Charlotte airport said that state municipal law and the airport's rules for digital content “do not allow the referenced video.” The authority also added that the Transportation Security Administration lacks ownership of any screens at its security areas and that its few display monitors are reserved for wayfinding, travel information, and paid advertisements.

Westchester County Objection

The county, in a statement, described the PSA “unacceptable, improper, and out of line with the standards we expect from our nation’s top public officials.”

“The public service announcement makes political the impacts of a government closure on security operations,” the county executive stated, adding that the tone was “overly alarming” and “undermines public trust.”

Homeland Security Response

A Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, an agency representative, repeated the Secretary's wording to blame “partisan tactics” in a statement, stating that “Democrats will shortly recognize the importance of reopening the federal government.”

Cross-Party Appeals for Resolution

The Port of Seattle said that it continued to “encourage cooperative actions to end the government shutdown” and was striving to find methods to support federal employees working without pay during the closure.