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A number of key international airports across the America, such as Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in NC, have decided to block a video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that faults Democratic lawmakers for the current government closure from playing at their security checkpoints.

Legal Concerns Cited by Aviation Authorities

Aviation administrators in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Charlotte, and Westchester County have refused to display the footage at security checkpoints, stating that the political statements could contravene federal and state regulations, including the Hatch Act, which forbids federal employees from engaging in political campaigning.

“Democrats in Congress refuse to fund the U.S. government, and because of this, many of our functions are disrupted, and most of our Transportation Security Administration employees are unpaid,” Noem stated in the announcement.

Portland Response

The Port of Portland clarified that it “would not agree to displaying the PSA in its current form, as we maintain the Hatch Act explicitly forbids use of public assets for political aims.” It added that Oregon law prohibits public employees from promoting or opposing any political party and that agreeing to broadcast this video would break state law.

Las Vegas Statement

Las Vegas's Harry Reid airport also refused to show the TSA video on comparable reasons, stating in a release that “the video's message included political messaging that did not align with the neutral, informational nature of the public service announcements usually shown at checkpoint screens” and also cited the federal act.

Understanding the Hatch Act Regulations

The Hatch Act is a federal law that bans partisan actions by government employees to guarantee that public services stay non-partisan.

Additional Authority Responses

• Phoenix Sky Harbor international airport explained that it “refused to post the video” to remain “consistent with airport policy,” which does not allow political content.
• The Port of Seattle, which operates Sea-Tac airport, similarly refused, pointing to “the political nature of the content.”
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport clarified that North Carolina municipal law and the airport's rules for screen content “do not allow the referenced video.” The airport also noted that the Transportation Security Administration lacks ownership of any screens at its security areas and that its few digital screens are designated for wayfinding, travel information, and paid advertisements.

Westchester County Objection

The county, in a public comment, called the PSA “inappropriate, unacceptable, and out of line with the standards we expect from our federal leaders.”

“The public service announcement politicizes the impacts of a federal government shutdown on security operations,” the county executive said, noting that the message was “overly alarming” and “erodes public trust.”

Homeland Security Response

A DHS assistant secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, echoed the Secretary's wording to attribute fault to “partisan tactics” in a statement, stating that “Democrats will shortly recognize the importance of reopening the government.”

Bipartisan Calls for Solution

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