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Several major global airports across the America, among them Phoenix Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in NC, have opted to restrict a public service announcement from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that faults Democratic lawmakers for the current federal government shutdown from playing at their screening locations.

Legal Concerns Raised by Aviation Authorities

Airport authorities in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Portland, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester, New York have declined to broadcast the footage at screening areas, stating that the clearly partisan content could violate federal and state regulations, such as the Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity.

“Democrats in Congress refuse to finance the U.S. government, and as a result, many of our operations are affected, and most of our TSA staff are unpaid,” the Secretary stated in the video.

Portland Response

The Portland airport authority clarified that it “would not agree to playing the PSA in its present version, as we consider the Hatch Act clearly prohibits use of public assets for partisan messaging.” The port further stated that state regulations in Oregon prohibits government staff from supporting or criticizing any party affiliation and that consenting to play this video would violate state law.

Las Vegas Position

Las Vegas's Harry Reid airport also refused to show the TSA video on comparable reasons, stating in a statement that “the video's message included political messaging that was inconsistent with the neutral, informational purpose of the public service announcements usually displayed at checkpoint screens” and also referenced the federal act.

Explaining the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act is a U.S. law that bans partisan actions by government employees to ensure that government programs remain unbiased.

Further Airport Responses

• Phoenix airport international airport explained that it “refused to display the video” to remain “in line with airport guidelines,” which prohibits political content.
• The Seattle port authority, which operates Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, also refused, citing “the partisan tone of the video.”
• Charlotte airport clarified that North Carolina municipal law and the airport's rules for screen content “do not permit the video in question.” 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, flight updates, and paid advertisements.

Westchester County Criticism

The county, in a statement, described the PSA “unacceptable, unacceptable, and inconsistent with the values we expect from our federal leaders.”

“The public service announcement makes political the effects of a federal government shutdown on TSA operations,” the county leader stated, noting that the message was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “erodes public trust.”

Homeland Security Response

A DHS official, Tricia McLaughlin, echoed the Secretary's wording to blame “political gamesmanship” in a statement, adding that “Democrats will shortly realize the significance of reopening the federal government.”

Bipartisan Calls for Solution

The Port of Seattle commented that it continued to “urge bipartisan efforts to resolve the government shutdown” and was striving to find methods to assist federal employees working without pay during the shutdown.