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Several major international air travel hubs across the America, among them Phoenix Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas in NC, have chosen to prevent a video from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that attributes responsibility to Democrats for the current government closure from being shown at their screening locations.

Legal Concerns Raised by Aviation Authorities

Airport officials in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Charlotte, and Westchester County have refused to show the video content at security checkpoints, stating that the political statements could violate state and federal law, such as the Hatch Act, which forbids government workers from participating in partisan political activity.

“Democrats in Congress decline to fund the U.S. government, and as a result, many of our operations are affected, and most of our TSA employees are unpaid,” the Secretary remarked in the video.

Portland Reaction

The Portland airport authority noted that it “did not consent to playing the video in its current form, as we consider the Hatch Act clearly prohibits use of public assets for political aims.” It added that Oregon law bars public employees from promoting or opposing any party affiliation and that consenting to play this video would violate state law.

Las Vegas Statement

The Harry Reid International Airport also refused to show the TSA video on comparable reasons, stating in a statement that “its content contained political messaging that did not align with the impartial, informational purpose of the PSAs typically displayed at checkpoint screens” and also cited the federal act.

Understanding the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act of 1939 is a U.S. law that forbids political activities by government employees to ensure that public services remain impartial.

Further Authority Responses

• Phoenix Sky Harbor international airport stated that it “refused to display the video” to stay “in line with airport guidelines,” which does not allow partisan material.
• The Port of Seattle, which manages Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, also declined, pointing to “the political nature of the content.”
• Charlotte airport clarified that North Carolina local regulations and the airport's rules for digital content “do not permit the referenced video.” The airport also added that the Transportation Security Administration does not own any monitors at its checkpoints and that its few digital screens are designated for wayfinding, flight updates, and paid advertisements.

Westchester County Objection

Westchester County, in a statement, described the PSA “inappropriate, improper, and inconsistent 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 “overly alarming” and “erodes public trust.”

DHS Reply

A DHS assistant secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, echoed Noem’s wording to attribute fault to “political gamesmanship” in a response, adding that “Democrats will shortly recognize the significance of reopening the federal government.”

Cross-Party Calls for Resolution

The Port of Seattle said that it continued to “urge cooperative actions to resolve the federal closure” and was striving to identify methods to assist government workers unpaid during the shutdown.