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A number of major international air travel hubs across the US, among them Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in North Carolina, have decided to prevent a public service announcement from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that attributes responsibility to Democrats for the continuing government closure from playing at their security checkpoints.

Regulatory Concerns Cited by Aviation Officials

Aviation administrators in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester County have refused to broadcast the video content at security checkpoints, stating that the political statements could violate state and federal law, including the Hatch Act, which forbids federal employees from engaging in partisan actions.

“Democrats in Congress refuse to support funding for the federal government, and as a result, many of our activities are affected, and most of our TSA staff are unpaid,” Noem stated in the announcement.

Portland Reaction

The Portland airport authority explained that it “would not agree to airing the PSA in its present version, as we believe the federal law explicitly forbids use of public assets for political aims.” It added that Oregon law prohibits government staff from supporting or criticizing any party affiliation and that consenting to play this video would break state law.

Harry Reid International Position

Las Vegas's Harry Reid airport also declined to show the TSA video on comparable reasons, stating in a statement that “the video's message included political messaging that did not align with the impartial, informational purpose of the public service announcements usually displayed at checkpoint screens” and also cited the Hatch Act.

Explaining the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act of 1939 is a federal law that forbids partisan actions by federal employees to ensure that government programs remain non-partisan.

Additional Airport Rejections

• Phoenix Sky Harbor airport explained that it “refused to display the PSA” to remain “consistent with airport guidelines,” which does not allow partisan material.
• The Port of Seattle, which operates Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, also declined, citing “the political nature of the video.”
• Charlotte airport said that state municipal law and the airport’s policy for screen content “do not permit the video in question.” The authority also noted that the TSA lacks ownership of any monitors at its security areas and that its limited digital screens are reserved for directions, flight updates, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester Objection

The county, in a statement, described the PSA “inappropriate, improper, and inconsistent with the values we anticipate from our federal leaders.”

“The PSA politicizes the impacts of a government closure on security operations,” the county leader stated, adding that the message was “overly alarming” and “undermines public trust.”

Homeland Security Response

A DHS official, an agency representative, repeated Noem’s wording to attribute fault to “political gamesmanship” in a statement, stating that “Democrats will soon recognize the importance of opening the government.”

Bipartisan Calls for Resolution

The Seattle authority commented that it continued to “encourage bipartisan efforts to resolve the federal closure” and was striving to identify ways to assist federal employees unpaid during the shutdown.