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A number of prominent international air travel hubs across the United States, such as Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in NC, have opted to block a public service announcement from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that faults Democrats for the ongoing government closure from airing at their checkpoint areas.

Regulatory Issues Raised by Airport Authorities

Airport authorities in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, Charlotte, and Westchester, New York have refused to broadcast the footage at security checkpoints, stating that the political statements could violate state and federal law, including the Hatch Act of 1939, which prohibits government workers from participating in political campaigning.

“Democratic legislators decline to support funding for the federal government, and as a result, many of our operations are disrupted, and most of our TSA staff are not receiving wages,” Noem remarked in the video.

The Port of Portland Response

The Portland airport authority noted that it “would not agree to playing the PSA in its current form, as we believe the Hatch Act explicitly forbids utilization of government resources for partisan messaging.” It added that Oregon law prohibits government staff from promoting or opposing any party affiliation and that agreeing to play this video would break Oregon law.

Harry Reid International Position

Las Vegas's Harry Reid airport also refused to display the TSA video on similar grounds, stating in a release that “its content included partisan statements that was inconsistent with the impartial, educational nature of the PSAs usually displayed at checkpoint screens” and also cited the federal act.

Understanding the Hatch Act Regulations

The Hatch Act is a federal law that prohibits partisan actions by federal employees to ensure that public services stay impartial.

Further Authority Responses

• Phoenix airport airport explained that it “refused to post the PSA” to stay “consistent with airport guidelines,” which prohibits political content.
• The Port of Seattle, which manages Sea-Tac airport, also declined, citing “the political nature of the content.”
• Charlotte airport clarified that state local regulations and the airport's rules for digital content “do not allow the referenced video.” The authority also noted that the TSA does not own any screens at its checkpoints and that its few digital screens are designated for directions, flight updates, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester County Objection

The county, in a statement, described the video “unacceptable, improper, and out of line with the standards we expect from our federal leaders.”

“The PSA politicizes the impacts of a federal government shutdown on TSA operations,” the county executive stated, noting that the message was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “undermines customer confidence.”

Homeland Security Response

A Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, an agency representative, repeated Noem’s wording to blame “political gamesmanship” in a response, stating that “Democrats will shortly recognize the importance of opening the federal government.”

Cross-Party Appeals for Solution

The Port of Seattle commented that it continued to “encourage bipartisan efforts to end the federal closure” and was striving to identify methods to support government workers working without pay during the shutdown.