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Several key global airports across the United States, among them Phoenix Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas in NC, have chosen to restrict a video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that attributes responsibility to Democrats for the ongoing federal government shutdown from airing at their security checkpoints.

Regulatory Issues Cited by Airport Authorities

Airport officials in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester, New York have declined to broadcast the footage at screening areas, stating that the clearly partisan content could violate state and federal law, including the Hatch Act of 1939, which forbids federal employees from participating in partisan actions.

“Congressional Democrats decline to fund the U.S. government, and because of this, many of our functions are impacted, and most of our TSA workers are working without pay,” Noem remarked in the video.

Portland Reaction

The Portland airport authority noted that it “would not agree to airing the video in its present version, as we believe the Hatch Act clearly prohibits utilization of government resources for political purposes.” The port further stated that state regulations in Oregon bars government staff from promoting or opposing any political party and that consenting to broadcast this video would violate state law.

Las Vegas Position

The Harry Reid airport also declined to show the TSA video on similar grounds, saying in a statement that “its content contained political messaging that did not align with the impartial, educational nature of the PSAs 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 bans partisan actions by federal employees to guarantee that public services remain impartial.

Additional Airport Rejections

• Phoenix Sky Harbor international airport stated that it “declined to display the video” to stay “consistent with airport guidelines,” which prohibits political content.
• The Port of Seattle, which operates Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, also declined, pointing to “the partisan tone of the video.”
• Charlotte airport said that North Carolina local regulations and the airport’s policy for screen content “do not permit the video in question.” The authority also added that the Transportation Security Administration lacks ownership of any screens at its security areas and that its limited digital screens are designated for wayfinding, flight updates, and paid advertisements.

Westchester County Objection

The county, in a statement, called the PSA “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 leader said, adding that the message was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “undermines public trust.”

Homeland Security Response

A Department of Homeland Security official, an agency representative, repeated the Secretary's language to attribute fault to “political gamesmanship” in a response, stating that “Democrats will soon realize the significance of reopening the government.”

Bipartisan Calls for Resolution

The Port of Seattle said that it continued to “encourage bipartisan efforts to resolve the government shutdown” and was striving to find ways to support federal employees unpaid during the closure.