🔗 Share this article

Several key international air travel hubs across the United States, including Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas in NC, have decided to restrict a video from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that attributes responsibility to Democrats for the continuing federal government shutdown from playing at their checkpoint areas.

Regulatory Issues Cited by Airport Authorities

Aviation administrators in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, and Westchester County have declined to broadcast the footage at screening areas, stating that the clearly partisan content could breach state and federal law, such as the Hatch Act, which forbids federal employees from engaging in partisan actions.

“Democrats in Congress refuse to finance the federal government, and because of this, many of our activities are disrupted, and most of our TSA staff are working without pay,” Noem stated in the announcement.

The Port of Portland Response

The Portland airport authority clarified that it “would not agree to playing the video in its present version, as we consider the federal law clearly prohibits use of public assets for partisan messaging.” It added that state regulations in Oregon prohibits public employees from promoting or opposing any party affiliation and that consenting to broadcast this video would break Oregon law.

Harry Reid International Position

Las Vegas's Harry Reid airport also refused to show the security announcement on similar grounds, noting in a statement that “its content included partisan statements that was inconsistent with the impartial, educational purpose of the PSAs usually shown at checkpoint screens” and also cited the federal act.

Understanding the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act of 1939 is a U.S. law that forbids political activities by federal employees to guarantee that public services stay impartial.

Additional Authority Responses

• Phoenix Sky Harbor airport stated that it “declined to display the video” to remain “consistent with airport guidelines,” which prohibits political content.
• The Port of Seattle, which operates Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, also refused, citing “the political nature of the content.”
• Charlotte airport said that state local regulations and the airport’s policy for screen content “do not allow the video in question.” The airport also added that the Transportation Security Administration does not own any screens at its checkpoints and that its limited digital screens are reserved for directions, travel information, and paid advertisements.

Westchester County Objection

The county, in a public comment, called the video “unacceptable, unacceptable, and out of line with the standards we anticipate from our federal leaders.”

“The public service announcement makes political the impacts of a federal government shutdown on security operations,” the county leader said, adding that the message was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “erodes public trust.”

Homeland Security Response

A DHS official, an agency representative, repeated the Secretary's language to blame “political gamesmanship” in a response, adding that “Democratic leaders will soon realize the significance of reopening the federal government.”

Bipartisan Calls for Solution

The Port of Seattle said that it continued to “encourage cooperative actions to end the federal closure” and was striving to find ways to assist government workers working without pay during the closure.