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Several major global air travel hubs across the US, including Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in NC, have opted to block a video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that faults Democrats for the current government closure from playing at their checkpoint areas.

Legal Concerns Cited by Airport Officials

Airport authorities in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Portland, Charlotte, and Westchester County have declined to display the footage at screening areas, stating that the clearly partisan content could contravene federal and state regulations, including the Hatch Act of 1939, which forbids federal employees from participating in partisan political activity.

“Democrats in Congress refuse to finance the U.S. government, and as a result, many of our functions are disrupted, and most of our TSA employees are unpaid,” Noem said in the video.

The Port of Portland Reaction

The Port of Portland clarified that it “would not agree to playing the video in its current form, as we consider the Hatch Act clearly prohibits utilization of government resources for partisan messaging.” The port further stated that Oregon law prohibits public employees from supporting or criticizing any party affiliation and that consenting to broadcast this content would break state law.

Harry Reid International Position

The Harry Reid airport also refused to show the security announcement on comparable reasons, saying in a statement that “its content included political messaging that did not align with the impartial, informational nature of the PSAs usually shown at security checkpoints” and also cited the federal act.

Understanding the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act of 1939 is a U.S. law that prohibits political activities by government employees to ensure that government programs stay unbiased.

Further Airport Responses

• Phoenix airport airport explained that it “refused to post the video” to stay “in line with airport policy,” which prohibits political content.
• The Seattle port authority, which operates Sea-Tac airport, similarly declined, citing “the partisan tone of the video.”
• Charlotte Douglas International 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 lacks ownership of any monitors at its checkpoints and that its few display monitors are reserved for directions, flight updates, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester Objection

The county, in a public comment, described the PSA “inappropriate, improper, and inconsistent with the values we expect from our nation’s top public officials.”

“The PSA politicizes the impacts of a federal government shutdown on TSA operations,” the county executive said, adding that the tone was “overly alarming” and “erodes customer confidence.”

Homeland Security Reply

A DHS assistant secretary, an agency representative, repeated Noem’s wording to blame “partisan tactics” in a statement, stating that “Democrats will soon realize the importance of reopening the federal government.”

Bipartisan Calls for Resolution

The Seattle authority said that it continued to “urge cooperative actions to end the government shutdown” and was working to find ways to support federal employees unpaid during the closure.