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A number of major global air travel hubs across the US, such as Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in NC, have opted to restrict a public service announcement from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that attributes responsibility to Democratic lawmakers for the continuing federal government shutdown from being shown at their checkpoint areas.

Regulatory Issues Raised by Airport Authorities

Aviation administrators in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, and Westchester County have declined to broadcast the footage at screening areas, stating that the political statements could breach federal and state regulations, including the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in political campaigning.

“Democrats in Congress refuse to support funding for the U.S. government, and because of this, many of our functions are disrupted, and most of our TSA staff are not receiving wages,” Noem stated in the announcement.

The Port of Portland Reaction

The Port of Portland clarified that it “would not agree to playing the video in its current form, as we maintain the federal law clearly prohibits use of public assets for partisan messaging.” The port further stated that Oregon law bars public employees from supporting or criticizing any party affiliation and that consenting to broadcast this video would break Oregon law.

Harry Reid International Position

The Harry Reid airport also declined to show the security announcement on comparable reasons, noting in a release that “its content contained political messaging that did not align with the impartial, informational nature of the public service announcements typically shown at checkpoint screens” and also cited the Hatch Act.

Understanding the Hatch Act

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

Further Authority Responses

• Phoenix airport airport stated that it “refused to post the PSA” to stay “in line with airport guidelines,” which prohibits partisan material.
• The Seattle port authority, which manages Sea-Tac airport, also declined, citing “the partisan tone of the video.”
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport said that North Carolina municipal law and the airport's rules for screen content “do not allow the referenced video.” The authority also added that the Transportation Security Administration does not own any monitors at its security areas and that its limited display monitors are reserved for directions, travel information, and paid advertisements.

Westchester County Criticism

Westchester County, in a statement, described the video “inappropriate, unacceptable, and out of line with the standards we anticipate from our nation’s top public officials.”

“The PSA makes political the impacts of a federal government shutdown on security operations,” the county executive stated, noting that the message was “overly alarming” and “undermines customer confidence.”

Homeland Security Reply

A DHS official, Tricia McLaughlin, repeated the Secretary's wording to attribute fault to “political gamesmanship” in a statement, adding that “Democrats will shortly realize the significance of opening the federal government.”

Bipartisan Appeals for Solution

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