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Several major international airports across the America, such as Phoenix Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in North Carolina, have decided to prevent a public service announcement from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that blames Democratic lawmakers for the ongoing federal government shutdown from airing at their checkpoint areas.

Legal Concerns Cited by Aviation Authorities

Aviation administrators in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester, New York have declined to broadcast the footage at security checkpoints, stating that the overtly political messaging could breach state and federal law, including the Hatch Act of 1939, which bars federal employees from engaging in partisan actions.

“Democrats in Congress decline to finance the federal government, and because of this, many of our operations are affected, and most of our TSA staff are not receiving wages,” Noem said in the video.

Portland Reaction

The Port of Portland clarified that it “would not agree to displaying the video in its current form, as we believe the federal law explicitly forbids utilization of government resources for political purposes.” It added that state regulations in Oregon prohibits public employees from promoting or opposing any political party and that agreeing to play this video would break Oregon law.

Harry Reid International Statement

Las Vegas's Harry Reid airport also refused to show the TSA video on similar grounds, stating in a statement that “the video's message contained political messaging that was inconsistent with the neutral, educational nature of the public service announcements usually displayed at checkpoint screens” and also cited the federal act.

Explaining the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act of 1939 is a federal law that forbids political activities by government employees to guarantee that public services stay non-partisan.

Further Authority Responses

• Phoenix Sky Harbor international airport explained that it “declined to display the video” to remain “consistent with airport policy,” which prohibits partisan material.
• The Port of Seattle, which manages Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, also refused, pointing to “the political nature of the content.”
• Charlotte airport clarified that state local regulations and the airport's rules for digital content “do not allow the referenced video.” The airport also noted that the Transportation Security Administration lacks ownership of any monitors at its checkpoints and that its limited digital screens are designated for directions, flight updates, and paid advertisements.

Westchester County Objection

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

“The public service announcement makes political the effects of a government closure on TSA operations,” the county executive said, noting that the tone was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “erodes customer confidence.”

Homeland Security Response

A DHS official, an agency representative, repeated the Secretary's language to blame “partisan tactics” in a response, adding that “Democratic leaders will shortly recognize the importance of reopening the government.”

Cross-Party Calls for Resolution

The Port of Seattle commented that it continued to “encourage bipartisan efforts to resolve the government shutdown” and was working to identify ways to support federal employees working without pay during the shutdown.