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

Legal Issues Cited by Aviation Authorities

Aviation administrators in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester, New York have declined to broadcast the footage at screening areas, stating that the overtly political messaging could violate federal and state regulations, including the Hatch Act, which bars government workers from engaging in partisan political activity.

“Democratic legislators decline to fund the federal government, and because of this, many of our operations are impacted, and most of our TSA staff are working without pay,” the Secretary stated in the announcement.

The Port of Portland Response

The Port of Portland explained that it “would not agree to airing the video in its current form, as we maintain the Hatch Act clearly prohibits use of public assets for partisan messaging.” It added that Oregon law bars government staff from supporting or criticizing any political party and that agreeing to play this content would violate Oregon law.

Harry Reid International Statement

The Harry Reid International Airport also declined to display the security announcement on similar grounds, saying in a statement that “its content contained political messaging that was inconsistent with the impartial, educational nature of the PSAs usually shown at security checkpoints” and also cited the Hatch Act.

Explaining the Hatch Act Regulations

The Hatch Act of 1939 is a U.S. law that prohibits political activities by government employees to ensure that public services stay non-partisan.

Further Airport Rejections

• Phoenix airport airport stated that it “declined to display the PSA” to remain “consistent with airport policy,” which prohibits political content.
• The Port of Seattle, which manages Sea-Tac airport, similarly declined, citing “the partisan tone of the video.”
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport said that state local regulations and the airport's rules for screen content “do not permit the referenced video.” The airport also added that the Transportation Security Administration lacks ownership of any monitors at its security areas and that its limited digital screens are reserved for wayfinding, travel information, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester County Objection

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

“The PSA makes political the effects of a government closure on TSA operations,” the county executive stated, noting that the tone was “overly alarming” and “erodes customer confidence.”

DHS Reply

A DHS assistant secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, repeated the Secretary's language to attribute fault to “political gamesmanship” in a statement, adding that “Democratic leaders will soon realize the significance of opening the federal government.”

Cross-Party Appeals for Resolution

The Port of Seattle commented that it continued to “encourage bipartisan efforts to resolve the government shutdown” and was working to identify ways to assist federal employees working without pay during the shutdown.