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A number of key global airports across the US, including Phoenix Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in NC, have decided to block a video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that attributes responsibility to Democratic lawmakers for the current government closure from being shown at their checkpoint areas.

Regulatory Issues Cited by Aviation Officials

Airport officials in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, and Westchester, New York have declined to broadcast the footage at security checkpoints, stating that the political statements could contravene federal and state regulations, such as the Hatch Act, which prohibits government workers from engaging in partisan actions.

“Congressional Democrats refuse to fund the U.S. government, and as a result, many of our activities are affected, and most of our Transportation Security Administration employees are working without pay,” Noem remarked in the announcement.

Portland Response

The Portland airport authority clarified that it “would not agree to playing the PSA in its current form, as we consider the federal law clearly prohibits utilization of government resources for partisan messaging.” It added that state regulations in Oregon bars government staff from supporting or criticizing any political party and that agreeing to broadcast this video would violate state law.

Las Vegas Statement

The Harry Reid airport also declined to show the TSA video on similar grounds, saying in a statement that “the video's message contained partisan statements that was inconsistent with the impartial, informational nature of the public service announcements usually shown at checkpoint screens” and also referenced the federal act.

Understanding the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act of 1939 is a federal law that prohibits partisan actions by government employees to ensure that public services stay unbiased.

Additional Airport Responses

• Phoenix airport international airport stated that it “declined to display the PSA” to stay “consistent with airport policy,” which prohibits political content.
• The Port of Seattle, which operates Sea-Tac airport, also declined, citing “the political nature of the content.”
• Charlotte airport said that North Carolina municipal law and the airport's rules for screen content “do not allow the referenced video.” The authority also noted that the Transportation Security Administration does not own any screens at its checkpoints and that its few display monitors are reserved for directions, travel information, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester Criticism

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

“The public service announcement makes political the impacts of a government closure on security operations,” the county executive stated, noting that the tone was “overly alarming” and “erodes customer confidence.”

DHS Reply

A DHS official, an agency representative, repeated the Secretary's wording to blame “partisan tactics” in a statement, stating that “Democratic leaders will shortly realize the significance of reopening the government.”

Bipartisan Calls for Solution

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