🔗 Share this article

A number of prominent international air travel hubs across the United States, such as Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas in North Carolina, have chosen to block a public service announcement from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that faults Democratic lawmakers for the current federal government shutdown from playing at their checkpoint areas.

Regulatory Concerns Raised by Aviation Officials

Aviation administrators in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Charlotte, and Westchester County have refused to show the footage at security checkpoints, stating that the overtly political messaging could violate state and federal law, such as the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in political campaigning.

“Democrats in Congress decline to finance the U.S. government, and as a result, many of our activities are affected, and most of our TSA staff are unpaid,” Noem remarked in the video.

Portland Reaction

The Portland airport authority noted that it “would not agree to airing the PSA in its current form, as we consider the Hatch Act explicitly forbids use of public assets for partisan messaging.” The port further stated that state regulations in Oregon prohibits public employees from supporting or criticizing any political party and that consenting to play this content would break Oregon law.

Las Vegas Statement

Las Vegas's Harry Reid airport also refused to show the security announcement on similar grounds, stating in a release that “the video's message contained partisan statements that was inconsistent with the neutral, informational purpose of the public service announcements usually displayed at checkpoint screens” and also cited the Hatch Act.

Explaining the Hatch Act Regulations

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

Further Authority Responses

• Phoenix Sky Harbor international airport stated that it “declined to display the video” to stay “consistent with airport policy,” which prohibits political content.
• The Seattle port authority, which operates Sea-Tac airport, also refused, citing “the political nature of the video.”
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport said that state municipal law and the airport's rules for screen content “do not allow the video in question.” The authority also noted that the Transportation Security Administration does not own any screens at its security areas and that its few display monitors are reserved for directions, travel information, and paid advertisements.

Westchester Criticism

The county, in a public comment, called the PSA “inappropriate, unacceptable, and out of line with the values we expect from our nation’s top public officials.”

“The PSA makes political the effects of a government closure on security operations,” the county executive said, adding that the tone was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “undermines public trust.”

Homeland Security Response

A DHS official, an agency representative, echoed the Secretary's wording to attribute fault to “partisan tactics” in a response, stating that “Democratic leaders will soon recognize the importance of reopening the federal government.”

Bipartisan Appeals for Resolution

The Seattle authority said that it continued to “encourage cooperative actions to end the federal closure” and was working to identify methods to support government workers working without pay during the shutdown.