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A number of major international airports across the America, among them Phoenix Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas in North Carolina, have decided to prevent a video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that blames Democrats for the current government closure from being shown at their security checkpoints.

Legal Issues Raised by Aviation Authorities

Aviation administrators in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester County have declined to display the footage at security checkpoints, stating that the clearly partisan content could breach state and federal law, such as the Hatch Act of 1939, which bars government workers from engaging in political campaigning.

“Democrats in Congress decline to finance the federal government, and because of this, many of our activities are affected, and most of our Transportation Security Administration workers are not receiving wages,” Noem stated in the video.

The Port of Portland Reaction

The Port of Portland explained that it “did not consent to displaying the PSA in its current form, as we consider the federal law clearly prohibits utilization of government resources for partisan messaging.” The port further stated that state regulations in Oregon prohibits public employees from promoting or opposing any political party and that agreeing to broadcast this video would violate Oregon law.

Las Vegas Statement

The Harry Reid airport also declined to display the TSA video on comparable reasons, saying in a release that “the video's message contained partisan statements that was inconsistent with the impartial, educational nature of the public service announcements typically displayed at checkpoint screens” and also referenced the federal act.

Understanding the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act is a federal law that bans partisan actions by federal employees to ensure that public services stay impartial.

Further Authority Rejections

• Phoenix Sky Harbor international airport explained that it “declined to display the PSA” to remain “consistent with airport guidelines,” which prohibits partisan material.
• The Port of Seattle, which operates Sea-Tac airport, also declined, citing “the political nature of the video.”
• Charlotte airport said that state municipal law and the airport's rules for screen content “do not permit the referenced video.” The authority also added that the TSA lacks ownership of any monitors at its checkpoints and that its limited digital screens are designated for wayfinding, travel information, and paid advertisements.

Westchester County Criticism

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

“The public service announcement politicizes the effects of a federal government shutdown on security operations,” the county leader stated, adding that the message was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “undermines customer confidence.”

Homeland Security Reply

A DHS assistant secretary, an agency representative, repeated Noem’s language to blame “political gamesmanship” in a statement, adding that “Democrats will shortly realize the significance of opening the government.”

Cross-Party Appeals for Solution

The Port of Seattle said that it continued to “urge bipartisan efforts to resolve the government shutdown” and was working to find methods to support federal employees unpaid during the closure.