US Air Hubs Block Homeland Security Video Blaming Democrats for Federal Closure

A number of key international airports across the America, such as Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in North Carolina, have opted to block a public service announcement from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that blames Democratic lawmakers for the current federal government shutdown from airing at their checkpoint areas.

Regulatory Concerns Raised by Aviation Authorities

Airport authorities in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, and Westchester, New York have declined to broadcast the footage at screening areas, stating that the political statements could contravene state and federal law, such as the Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from participating in political campaigning.

“Congressional Democrats refuse to finance the federal government, and because of this, many of our operations are disrupted, and most of our Transportation Security Administration staff are unpaid,” Noem stated in the video.

Portland Reaction

The Port of Portland noted that it “would not agree to displaying the PSA in its present version, as we maintain the Hatch Act explicitly forbids utilization of government resources for political aims.” The port further stated that state regulations in Oregon prohibits government staff from promoting or opposing any political party and that consenting to play this video would violate state law.

Las Vegas Position

Las Vegas's Harry Reid airport also refused to show the security announcement on similar grounds, saying in a release that “its content included political messaging that was inconsistent with the neutral, educational purpose of the public service announcements typically shown at security checkpoints” and also cited the Hatch Act.

Explaining the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act is a federal law that bans political activities by government employees to ensure that government programs stay impartial.

Additional Authority Rejections

• Phoenix Sky Harbor international airport stated that it “declined to display the PSA” to remain “in line with airport guidelines,” which does not allow political content.
• The Seattle port authority, which manages Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, also declined, pointing to “the political nature of the video.”
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport clarified that North Carolina municipal law and the airport's rules for digital content “do not permit the video in question.” The airport also noted that the TSA does not own any monitors at its security areas and that its few display monitors are designated for wayfinding, travel information, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester Objection

Westchester County, in a statement, called the video “unacceptable, unacceptable, and inconsistent with the standards we expect from our nation’s top public officials.”

“The public service announcement politicizes the effects of a government closure on security operations,” the county executive said, adding that the message was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “erodes public trust.”

DHS Response

A DHS official, an agency representative, repeated Noem’s language to attribute fault to “partisan tactics” in a statement, stating that “Democratic leaders will shortly recognize the significance of opening the federal government.”

Bipartisan Calls for Resolution

The Port of Seattle commented that it continued to “urge bipartisan efforts to resolve the federal closure” and was striving to identify methods to support government workers unpaid during the shutdown.