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A number of major international airports across the US, including Phoenix Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas in NC, have decided to block a public service announcement from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that blames Democratic lawmakers for the continuing government closure from being shown at their security checkpoints.

Legal Issues Raised by Airport Officials

Airport officials in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, Charlotte, and Westchester County have refused to display the footage at screening areas, stating that the clearly partisan content could breach state and federal law, including the Hatch Act, which prohibits government workers from participating in political campaigning.

“Congressional Democrats decline to support funding for the federal government, and as a result, many of our operations are affected, and most of our TSA employees are working without pay,” the Secretary stated in the announcement.

The Port of Portland Response

The Port of Portland explained that it “would not agree to airing the PSA in its current form, as we consider the Hatch Act clearly prohibits use of public assets for political purposes.” It added that Oregon law prohibits government staff from promoting or opposing any party affiliation and that agreeing to play this video would break Oregon law.

Harry Reid International Position

Las Vegas's Harry Reid airport also declined to display the security announcement on comparable reasons, noting in a statement that “its content included political messaging that did not align with the neutral, informational purpose of the public service announcements typically shown at checkpoint screens” and also cited the Hatch Act.

Explaining the Hatch Act Regulations

The Hatch Act of 1939 is a U.S. law that forbids partisan actions by government employees to guarantee that public services remain impartial.

Additional Airport Responses

• Phoenix airport international airport stated that it “declined to post the video” to stay “in line with airport policy,” which does not allow political content.
• The Port of Seattle, which operates Sea-Tac airport, also refused, citing “the political nature of the content.”
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport said that North Carolina municipal law and the airport's rules for screen content “do not permit the video in question.” The authority also added that the Transportation Security Administration lacks ownership of any monitors at its checkpoints and that its limited display monitors are designated for wayfinding, travel information, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester Criticism

The county, in a public comment, described the video “inappropriate, improper, and out of line with the values we expect from our federal leaders.”

“The PSA makes political the effects of a federal government shutdown on TSA operations,” the county executive stated, adding that the tone was “overly alarming” and “undermines customer confidence.”

DHS Response

A DHS assistant secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, repeated the Secretary's language to attribute fault to “partisan tactics” in a response, stating that “Democrats will shortly recognize the importance of opening the federal government.”

Bipartisan Appeals for Resolution

The Port of Seattle commented that it continued to “encourage bipartisan efforts to end the government shutdown” and was working to identify methods to support federal employees working without pay during the shutdown.