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Several prominent international air travel hubs across the US, among them Phoenix Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas in NC, have opted to block a public service announcement from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that faults Democratic lawmakers for the ongoing government closure from playing at their screening locations.

Legal Concerns Cited by Aviation Officials

Airport authorities in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, and Westchester, New York have refused to broadcast the video content at screening areas, stating that the clearly partisan content could breach federal and state regulations, such as the Hatch Act of 1939, which bars federal employees from engaging in political campaigning.

“Democratic legislators refuse to support funding for the federal government, and because of this, many of our activities are disrupted, and most of our Transportation Security Administration workers are working without pay,” the Secretary stated in the video.

The Port of Portland Reaction

The Portland airport authority clarified that it “would not agree to displaying the PSA in its current form, as we believe the Hatch Act explicitly forbids utilization of government resources for political purposes.” The port further stated that Oregon law bars government staff from promoting or opposing any political party and that consenting to play this content would violate state law.

Las Vegas Position

Las Vegas's Harry Reid airport also declined to show the TSA video on similar grounds, saying in a release that “its content contained partisan statements that did not align with the neutral, educational purpose of the public service announcements typically shown at checkpoint screens” and also cited the Hatch Act.

Explaining the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act of 1939 is a U.S. law that bans political activities by federal employees to ensure that government programs stay impartial.

Additional Airport Rejections

• Phoenix airport airport stated that it “refused to display the video” to stay “in line with airport guidelines,” which prohibits partisan material.
• The Port of Seattle, which operates Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, similarly refused, citing “the partisan tone of the video.”
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport said that state municipal law and the airport's rules for screen content “do not allow the referenced video.” The authority also noted that the TSA does not own any monitors at its checkpoints and that its limited digital screens are reserved for wayfinding, flight updates, and paid advertisements.

Westchester County Criticism

Westchester County, in a statement, described the PSA “unacceptable, unacceptable, and inconsistent with the standards we anticipate from our nation’s top public officials.”

“The public service announcement politicizes the impacts of a government closure on security operations,” the county executive said, noting that the tone was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “erodes public trust.”

DHS Reply

A DHS assistant secretary, an agency representative, echoed Noem’s wording to attribute fault to “political gamesmanship” in a statement, stating that “Democratic leaders will shortly realize the significance of opening the federal government.”

Cross-Party Appeals for Resolution

The Seattle authority said that it continued to “urge cooperative actions to resolve the federal closure” and was striving to find ways to assist government workers working without pay during the shutdown.