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Several key international airports across the United States, such as Phoenix Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas in NC, have decided to block a public service announcement from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that faults Democratic lawmakers for the current government closure from airing at their checkpoint areas.

Regulatory Concerns Cited by Airport Officials

Aviation administrators in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, Charlotte, and Westchester, New York have declined to display the video content at security checkpoints, stating that the overtly political messaging could contravene federal and state regulations, including the Hatch Act, which forbids government workers from engaging in partisan actions.

“Democrats in Congress decline to fund the U.S. government, and because of this, many of our functions are disrupted, and most of our Transportation Security Administration staff are not receiving wages,” the Secretary remarked in the video.

Portland Response

The Port of Portland clarified that it “did not consent to displaying the PSA in its current form, as we consider the federal law explicitly forbids utilization of government resources for political purposes.” It added that state regulations in Oregon prohibits government staff from supporting or criticizing any political party and that consenting to broadcast this content would violate state law.

Las Vegas Position

The Harry Reid airport also refused to display the security announcement on comparable reasons, noting in a statement that “its content included partisan statements that did not align with the neutral, informational nature of the public service announcements usually displayed at checkpoint screens” and also cited the Hatch Act.

Explaining the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act is a federal law that forbids political activities by government employees to guarantee that government programs remain unbiased.

Additional Airport Responses

• Phoenix airport international airport explained that it “refused to post the PSA” to stay “consistent with airport guidelines,” which does not allow partisan material.
• The Seattle port authority, which operates Sea-Tac airport, similarly declined, citing “the partisan tone of the content.”
• Charlotte airport said that state municipal law and the airport’s policy 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 security areas and that its limited display monitors are reserved for directions, travel information, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester County Criticism

Westchester County, in a statement, called the PSA “inappropriate, unacceptable, and inconsistent with the standards we expect from our nation’s top public officials.”

“The public service announcement makes political the impacts of a federal government shutdown on TSA operations,” the county leader said, noting that the tone was “overly alarming” and “undermines customer confidence.”

DHS Response

A Department of Homeland Security official, Tricia McLaughlin, repeated the Secretary's language to attribute fault to “political gamesmanship” in a response, adding that “Democratic leaders will soon realize the importance of opening the federal government.”

Bipartisan Appeals for Resolution

The Port of Seattle commented that it continued to “urge bipartisan efforts to resolve the government shutdown” and was striving to identify ways to assist government workers working without pay during the closure.