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Several key global airports across the America, including Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in NC, have opted to prevent a video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that attributes responsibility to Democrats for the current government closure from airing at their security checkpoints.

Regulatory Concerns Cited by Airport Authorities

Airport officials in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester County have refused to display the video content at security checkpoints, stating that the overtly political messaging could violate federal and state regulations, such as the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in partisan actions.

“Democrats in Congress decline to finance the U.S. government, and as a result, many of our operations are impacted, and most of our Transportation Security Administration employees are unpaid,” Noem stated in the announcement.

Portland Response

The Port of Portland clarified that it “did not consent to playing the video in its present version, as we maintain the Hatch Act clearly prohibits use of public assets for political aims.” It added that state regulations in Oregon bars public employees from promoting or opposing any party affiliation and that agreeing to play this content would break state law.

Harry Reid International Statement

The Harry Reid International Airport also refused to show the security announcement on similar grounds, stating in a statement that “its content contained political messaging that was inconsistent with the impartial, informational purpose of the PSAs usually shown at checkpoint screens” and also cited the Hatch Act.

Explaining the Hatch Act Regulations

The Hatch Act of 1939 is a U.S. law that bans partisan actions by federal employees to guarantee that government programs stay non-partisan.

Additional Airport Rejections

• Phoenix Sky Harbor airport explained that it “declined to display the video” to remain “in line with airport policy,” which prohibits political content.
• The Seattle port authority, which operates Sea-Tac airport, similarly declined, pointing to “the political nature of the video.”
• Charlotte airport said that state local regulations and the airport’s policy for screen content “do not permit the video in question.” The airport also noted that the Transportation Security Administration lacks ownership of any monitors at its security areas and that its limited display monitors are designated for wayfinding, travel information, and paid advertisements.

Westchester Objection

The county, in a public comment, called the PSA “inappropriate, improper, and out of line with the values we anticipate from our nation’s top public officials.”

“The PSA makes political the impacts of a federal government shutdown on security operations,” the county leader said, adding that the tone was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “undermines customer confidence.”

Homeland Security Response

A DHS official, an agency representative, repeated the Secretary's language to attribute fault to “political gamesmanship” in a statement, stating that “Democrats will shortly recognize the significance of reopening the federal government.”

Bipartisan Calls for Solution

The Port of Seattle said that it continued to “urge cooperative actions to end the government shutdown” and was working to identify ways to assist federal employees unpaid during the closure.