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A number of key global air travel hubs across the US, such as Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas in NC, have decided to restrict a video from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that attributes responsibility to Democratic lawmakers for the current federal government shutdown from playing at their security checkpoints.

Regulatory Concerns Cited by Airport Officials

Aviation administrators in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, and Westchester, New York have declined to broadcast the footage at security checkpoints, stating that the political statements could breach federal and state regulations, such as the Hatch Act of 1939, which prohibits government workers from participating in partisan political activity.

“Congressional Democrats decline to fund the federal government, and as a result, many of our functions are affected, and most of our Transportation Security Administration workers are working without pay,” the Secretary said in the video.

The Port of Portland Response

The Portland airport authority explained that it “did not consent to playing the PSA in its current form, as we believe the federal law explicitly forbids utilization of government resources for political purposes.” The port further stated that Oregon law bars government staff from promoting or opposing any party affiliation and that consenting to broadcast this content would violate Oregon law.

Harry Reid International Position

The Harry Reid International Airport also refused to display the TSA video on comparable reasons, saying in a release that “its content included partisan statements that did not align with the neutral, informational nature of the PSAs typically shown at security checkpoints” and also cited the federal act.

Explaining the Hatch Act Regulations

The Hatch Act of 1939 is a federal law that prohibits partisan actions by government employees to guarantee that public services stay non-partisan.

Additional Airport Responses

• Phoenix Sky Harbor airport stated that it “declined to post the video” to stay “in line with airport policy,” which does not allow partisan material.
• The Port of Seattle, which manages Sea-Tac airport, also declined, citing “the partisan tone of the video.”
• Charlotte airport clarified that North Carolina local regulations and the airport’s policy for digital content “do not permit the referenced video.” The authority also noted that the TSA lacks ownership of any screens at its security areas and that its few digital screens are reserved for wayfinding, travel information, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester County Objection

The county, in a statement, described the video “unacceptable, improper, and out of line with the values we expect from our nation’s top public officials.”

“The public service announcement politicizes the impacts of a government closure on security operations,” the county executive said, adding that the message was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “erodes customer confidence.”

Homeland Security Reply

A Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, an agency representative, repeated the Secretary's wording to blame “political gamesmanship” in a statement, stating that “Democratic leaders will shortly recognize the significance of opening the government.”

Cross-Party Calls for Resolution

The Seattle authority commented that it continued to “encourage cooperative actions to end the federal closure” and was striving to identify ways to support federal employees working without pay during the closure.