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Several prominent global air travel hubs across the US, such as Phoenix Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas in North Carolina, have opted to prevent a video from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that faults Democratic lawmakers for the current federal government shutdown from airing at their checkpoint areas.

Regulatory Issues Raised by Aviation Authorities

Airport officials in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester, New York have refused to broadcast 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 refuse to support funding for the federal government, and because of this, many of our operations are disrupted, and most of our TSA employees are unpaid,” Noem said in the announcement.

Portland Reaction

The Portland airport authority clarified that it “did not consent to airing the PSA in its present version, as we maintain the Hatch Act explicitly forbids use of public assets for partisan messaging.” It added that state regulations in Oregon bars government staff from supporting or criticizing any party affiliation and that consenting to broadcast this video would violate state law.

Harry Reid International Statement

The Harry Reid International Airport also declined to show the TSA video on similar grounds, stating in a release that “its content contained political messaging that was inconsistent with the neutral, educational nature of the PSAs usually shown at checkpoint screens” and also cited the federal act.

Explaining the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act is a federal law that bans partisan actions by federal employees to guarantee that government programs stay impartial.

Further Authority Rejections

• Phoenix Sky Harbor international airport explained that it “refused to display the video” to stay “consistent with airport guidelines,” which prohibits partisan material.
• The Port of Seattle, which operates Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, also refused, citing “the political nature of the video.”
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport clarified that North Carolina municipal law and the airport’s policy for digital content “do not allow the referenced video.” The authority also added that the TSA does not own any monitors at its security areas and that its limited display monitors are designated for wayfinding, flight updates, and paid advertisements.

Westchester Criticism

Westchester County, in a public comment, called the video “unacceptable, unacceptable, and inconsistent with the values we anticipate from our federal leaders.”

“The public service announcement makes political the impacts of a federal government shutdown on TSA operations,” the county leader said, adding that the message was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “undermines public trust.”

Homeland Security Response

A DHS official, Tricia McLaughlin, repeated the Secretary's language to blame “partisan tactics” in a response, adding that “Democrats will soon recognize the significance of opening the federal government.”

Cross-Party Calls for Solution

The Seattle authority commented that it continued to “encourage bipartisan efforts to resolve the government shutdown” and was striving to find ways to support federal employees working without pay during the closure.