US Air Hubs Block Homeland Security Video Blaming Democratic Party for Federal Closure

A number of major international air travel hubs across the United States, including Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in NC, have chosen to block a public service announcement from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that faults Democrats for the current federal government shutdown from airing at their screening locations.

Legal Concerns Raised by Airport Authorities

Aviation administrators in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Charlotte, and Westchester, New York have declined to broadcast the footage at security checkpoints, stating that the clearly partisan content could breach federal and state regulations, including the Hatch Act of 1939, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity.

“Democrats in Congress decline to support funding for the federal government, and as a result, many of our activities are affected, and most of our Transportation Security Administration staff are unpaid,” the Secretary remarked in the announcement.

Portland Reaction

The Portland airport authority clarified that it “would not agree to airing the PSA in its current form, as we maintain the federal law explicitly forbids utilization of government resources for partisan messaging.” It added that Oregon law bars public employees from promoting or opposing any political party and that consenting to broadcast this content would break state law.

Harry Reid International Statement

Las Vegas's Harry Reid airport also declined to show the TSA video on similar grounds, noting in a statement that “the video's message included partisan statements that did not align with the impartial, educational purpose of the PSAs typically shown at security checkpoints” and also cited the Hatch Act.

Explaining the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act of 1939 is a U.S. law that bans political activities by government employees to ensure that government programs stay unbiased.

Further Authority Responses

• Phoenix Sky Harbor airport explained that it “declined to display the video” to remain “in line with airport policy,” which prohibits partisan material.
• The Seattle port authority, which manages Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, similarly declined, citing “the partisan tone of the video.”
• Charlotte airport said that state local regulations and the airport’s policy for digital content “do not permit the video in question.” The authority also noted that the TSA lacks ownership of any screens at its checkpoints and that its limited digital screens are designated for wayfinding, flight updates, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester County Objection

The county, in a public comment, called the video “inappropriate, improper, and out of line with the standards we anticipate from our nation’s top public officials.”

“The public service announcement politicizes the impacts of a government closure on security operations,” the county executive said, noting that the message was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “erodes customer confidence.”

Homeland Security Reply

A Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, repeated Noem’s language to attribute fault to “political gamesmanship” in a statement, stating that “Democratic leaders will soon recognize the importance of reopening the government.”

Bipartisan Appeals for Resolution

The Seattle authority said that it continued to “urge bipartisan efforts to end the federal closure” and was striving to find methods to assist government workers unpaid during the shutdown.