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Several key global airports across the America, among them Phoenix Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in North Carolina, have opted to block a video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that faults Democratic lawmakers for the current government closure from being shown at their security checkpoints.

Regulatory Concerns Cited by Aviation Authorities

Airport officials in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester, New York have declined to broadcast the footage at security checkpoints, stating that the overtly political messaging could breach state and federal law, such as the Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from engaging in political campaigning.

“Democratic legislators refuse to finance the federal government, and because of this, many of our operations are impacted, and most of our TSA staff are working without pay,” Noem said in the video.

Portland Reaction

The Port of Portland explained that it “did not consent to airing the video in its current form, as we maintain the federal law clearly prohibits utilization of government resources for partisan messaging.” The port further stated that state regulations in Oregon bars public employees from promoting or opposing any political party and that agreeing to play this video would break Oregon law.

Las Vegas Position

Las Vegas's Harry Reid International Airport also declined to display the TSA video on comparable reasons, noting in a statement that “the video's message contained partisan statements that was inconsistent with the impartial, informational purpose of the PSAs usually displayed at checkpoint screens” and also referenced the federal act.

Understanding the Hatch Act

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

Further Airport Rejections

• Phoenix Sky Harbor airport stated that it “refused to display the PSA” to stay “consistent with airport policy,” which does not allow political content.
• The Seattle port authority, which manages Sea-Tac airport, similarly declined, citing “the political nature of the video.”
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport clarified that North Carolina local regulations and the airport's rules for digital content “do not allow the video in question.” The authority also added that the Transportation Security Administration does not own any monitors at its checkpoints and that its limited digital screens are reserved for wayfinding, travel information, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester Objection

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

“The PSA makes political the effects of a federal government shutdown on security operations,” the county executive stated, adding that the message was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “erodes customer confidence.”

Homeland Security Reply

A Department of Homeland Security official, an agency representative, repeated Noem’s wording to blame “partisan tactics” in a statement, stating that “Democratic leaders will soon recognize the significance of opening the government.”

Cross-Party Appeals for Resolution

The Seattle authority 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.