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Several key international airports across the America, such as Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas in North Carolina, have opted to prevent a public service announcement from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that faults Democratic lawmakers for the continuing government closure from being shown at their checkpoint areas.

Legal Issues Raised by Airport Authorities

Airport officials in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Portland, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester, New York have refused to show the footage at security checkpoints, stating that the political statements could contravene state and federal law, such as the Hatch Act, which prohibits government workers from engaging in partisan actions.

“Democrats in Congress decline to finance the U.S. government, and as a result, many of our functions are disrupted, and most of our Transportation Security Administration employees are working without pay,” Noem remarked in the video.

The Port of Portland Reaction

The Port of Portland explained that it “would not agree to displaying the video in its current form, as we believe the federal law clearly prohibits use of public assets for political purposes.” It added that Oregon law prohibits public employees from supporting or criticizing any political party and that agreeing to play this content would violate state law.

Harry Reid International Position

The Harry Reid airport also refused to display the security announcement on similar grounds, stating in a statement that “its content contained partisan statements that was inconsistent with the neutral, educational nature of the public service announcements typically shown at checkpoint screens” and also cited the Hatch Act.

Explaining the Hatch Act

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

Further Authority Rejections

• Phoenix Sky Harbor airport explained that it “declined to display the video” to stay “in line with airport policy,” which does not allow partisan material.
• The Seattle port authority, which manages Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, similarly refused, citing “the political nature of the video.”
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport clarified that North Carolina local regulations and the airport's rules for screen content “do not permit the video in question.” The authority also added that the Transportation Security Administration does not own any screens at its security areas and that its limited digital screens are reserved for directions, flight updates, and paid advertisements.

Westchester Objection

Westchester County, in a public comment, called the video “unacceptable, unacceptable, and out of line with the values we anticipate from our nation’s top public officials.”

“The PSA makes political the impacts of a government closure on security operations,” the county executive said, adding that the message was “overly alarming” and “undermines public trust.”

DHS Response

A DHS assistant secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, echoed Noem’s wording to blame “political gamesmanship” in a statement, adding that “Democrats will soon recognize the significance of opening the government.”

Bipartisan Appeals for Solution

The Port of Seattle commented that it continued to “urge cooperative actions to end the federal closure” and was striving to identify ways to support government workers unpaid during the closure.