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A number of major international air travel hubs across the United States, such as Phoenix Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas in North Carolina, have chosen to restrict a video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that blames Democratic lawmakers for the continuing government closure from being shown at their checkpoint areas.

Legal Issues Raised by Airport Authorities

Airport authorities in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester, New York have refused to broadcast the video content at screening areas, stating that the overtly political messaging could breach state and federal law, including the Hatch Act, which forbids government workers from participating in political campaigning.

“Congressional Democrats refuse to fund the U.S. government, and because of this, many of our operations are impacted, and most of our Transportation Security Administration staff are not receiving wages,” the Secretary stated in the video.

The Port of Portland Response

The Port of Portland explained that it “would not agree to playing the PSA in its current form, as we consider the federal law explicitly forbids use of public assets for political aims.” It added that state regulations in Oregon bars public employees from promoting or opposing any political party and that consenting to broadcast this content would break Oregon law.

Harry Reid International Statement

The Harry Reid International Airport also declined to show the security announcement on comparable reasons, stating in a statement that “its content included partisan statements that was inconsistent with the impartial, educational purpose of the PSAs typically shown at checkpoint screens” and also referenced the Hatch Act.

Understanding the Hatch Act Regulations

The Hatch Act of 1939 is a U.S. law that bans political activities by government employees to guarantee that public services remain impartial.

Additional Authority Rejections

• Phoenix Sky Harbor international airport explained that it “declined to post the video” to stay “in line 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 content.”
• Charlotte airport said that North Carolina municipal law and the airport's rules for digital content “do not permit the video in question.” The airport also noted that the Transportation Security Administration lacks ownership of any screens at its checkpoints and that its few digital screens are reserved for directions, travel information, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester Criticism

The county, in a statement, called the PSA “unacceptable, improper, and out of line with the standards we expect from our nation’s top public officials.”

“The public service announcement politicizes the impacts of a government closure on security operations,” the county leader said, noting that the tone was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “undermines customer confidence.”

Homeland Security Response

A Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, an agency representative, repeated the Secretary's wording to blame “partisan tactics” in a response, adding that “Democratic leaders will shortly recognize the significance of reopening the government.”

Cross-Party Calls for Resolution

The Port of Seattle said that it continued to “urge bipartisan efforts to end the federal closure” and was striving to identify ways to assist government workers unpaid during the closure.