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Several major global airports across the US, such as Phoenix Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in NC, have opted to block a video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that blames Democrats for the current government closure from being shown at their security checkpoints.

Regulatory Concerns Cited by Airport Officials

Airport authorities in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester, New York have refused to broadcast the footage at screening areas, stating that the overtly political messaging could breach state and federal law, such as the Hatch Act of 1939, which forbids federal employees from engaging in political campaigning.

“Congressional Democrats refuse to fund the U.S. government, and as a result, many of our operations are affected, and most of our TSA workers are unpaid,” the Secretary remarked in the announcement.

The Port of Portland Response

The Portland airport authority explained that it “did not consent to displaying the PSA in its current form, as we believe the federal law explicitly forbids utilization of government resources for political aims.” The port further stated that state regulations in Oregon prohibits government staff from supporting or criticizing any political party and that consenting to play this content would violate state law.

Las Vegas Position

Las Vegas's Harry Reid International Airport also declined to show the security announcement on similar grounds, stating in a release that “the video's message included partisan statements that was inconsistent with the impartial, educational nature of the public service announcements usually shown at security checkpoints” and also cited the federal act.

Explaining the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act is a federal law that forbids political activities by government employees to ensure that public services remain unbiased.

Further Airport Responses

• Phoenix airport international airport stated that it “refused to display the video” to remain “consistent with airport guidelines,” which does not allow partisan material.
• The Seattle port authority, which operates Sea-Tac airport, also refused, citing “the political nature of the content.”
• Charlotte airport said that state local regulations and the airport’s policy for screen content “do not allow the video in question.” The airport also noted that the TSA does not own any screens at its security areas and that its limited digital screens are designated for wayfinding, flight updates, and paid advertisements.

Westchester Criticism

Westchester County, in a public comment, described the video “unacceptable, unacceptable, 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 federal government shutdown on security operations,” the county executive said, noting that the tone was “overly alarming” and “undermines customer confidence.”

DHS Response

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

Cross-Party Calls for Resolution

The Port of Seattle said that it continued to “encourage cooperative actions to resolve the federal closure” and was working to find methods to assist federal employees unpaid during the closure.