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Several key international airports across the United States, such as Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in NC, have opted to block a video from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that attributes responsibility to Democrats for the ongoing government closure from being shown at their security checkpoints.

Regulatory Issues Raised by Aviation Authorities

Aviation administrators in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester County have refused to broadcast the video content at screening areas, stating that the overtly political messaging could breach federal and state regulations, including the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from participating in partisan political activity.

“Democrats in Congress refuse to fund the federal government, and because of this, many of our functions are disrupted, and most of our TSA staff are working without pay,” the Secretary said in the announcement.

The Port of Portland Reaction

The Port of Portland explained that it “would not agree to playing the PSA in its current form, as we consider the federal law clearly prohibits use of public assets for political aims.” The port further stated that Oregon law bars public employees from supporting or criticizing any political party and that agreeing to broadcast this content would violate state law.

Las Vegas Position

The Harry Reid International Airport also refused to show the security announcement on similar grounds, saying in a release that “its content contained political messaging that did not align with the neutral, informational nature of the public service announcements usually displayed at security checkpoints” and also cited the federal act.

Understanding the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act is a U.S. law that prohibits political activities by federal employees to ensure that public services remain non-partisan.

Additional Authority Responses

• Phoenix Sky Harbor airport explained that it “refused to display the video” to remain “in line with airport policy,” which does not allow partisan material.
• The Port of Seattle, which operates Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, similarly refused, pointing to “the political nature of the video.”
• Charlotte airport said that North Carolina municipal law and the airport's rules for digital content “do not permit the video in question.” The authority also added that the TSA lacks ownership of any monitors at its checkpoints and that its limited digital screens are reserved for wayfinding, flight updates, and paid advertisements.

Westchester County Objection

The county, in a statement, described the PSA “unacceptable, unacceptable, and out of line with the values we expect from our federal leaders.”

“The public service announcement politicizes the effects of a federal government shutdown on security operations,” the county leader stated, adding that the message was “overly alarming” and “erodes customer confidence.”

DHS Response

A DHS official, an agency representative, repeated Noem’s wording to blame “political gamesmanship” in a statement, stating that “Democrats will shortly realize the significance of opening the government.”

Cross-Party Appeals for Solution

The Seattle authority commented that it continued to “encourage bipartisan efforts to resolve the federal closure” and was striving to identify ways to support government workers working without pay during the shutdown.