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Several major global air travel hubs across the United States, such as Phoenix Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas in North Carolina, have chosen to block a public service announcement from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that blames Democratic lawmakers for the current government closure from playing at their checkpoint areas.

Regulatory Concerns Cited by Airport Officials

Airport officials in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Charlotte, and Westchester, New York have refused to display the footage at security checkpoints, stating that the overtly political messaging could contravene federal and state regulations, such as the Hatch Act of 1939, which bars federal employees from participating in partisan political activity.

“Democratic legislators decline to fund the federal government, and as a result, many of our functions are impacted, and most of our Transportation Security Administration staff are unpaid,” Noem stated in the video.

Portland Response

The Port of Portland explained that it “did not consent to displaying the PSA in its current form, as we maintain the Hatch Act clearly prohibits utilization of government resources for partisan messaging.” The port further stated that Oregon law prohibits government staff from supporting or criticizing any political party and that consenting to broadcast this content would violate Oregon law.

Las Vegas Statement

The Harry Reid airport also refused to display the TSA video on similar grounds, stating in a release that “its content contained partisan statements that did not align with the impartial, informational purpose of the public service announcements typically displayed at security checkpoints” and also referenced the federal act.

Understanding the Hatch Act Regulations

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

Additional Airport Responses

• Phoenix airport airport stated that it “refused to post the video” to remain “in line with airport policy,” which prohibits political content.
• The Seattle port authority, which manages Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, similarly declined, pointing to “the partisan tone of the video.”
• Charlotte airport clarified that state municipal law and the airport’s policy for digital content “do not allow the video in question.” The authority also noted that the Transportation Security Administration lacks ownership of any monitors at its checkpoints and that its limited digital screens are designated for wayfinding, travel information, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester Criticism

Westchester County, in a public comment, described the video “inappropriate, improper, and inconsistent with the standards we anticipate from our nation’s top public officials.”

“The PSA makes political the effects of a government closure on security operations,” the county executive said, noting that the message was “overly alarming” and “undermines public trust.”

DHS Reply

A Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, echoed Noem’s wording to blame “political gamesmanship” in a statement, stating that “Democratic leaders will shortly realize the significance of reopening the government.”

Bipartisan Appeals for Solution

The Port of Seattle said that it continued to “urge cooperative actions to end the government shutdown” and was striving to find methods to support government workers unpaid during the shutdown.