🔗 Share this article

A number of major international airports across the United States, such as Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in North Carolina, have chosen to prevent a public service announcement from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that attributes responsibility to Democrats for the ongoing government closure from airing at their checkpoint areas.

Regulatory Issues Raised by Aviation Authorities

Aviation administrators in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, and Westchester, New York have declined to broadcast the footage at security checkpoints, stating that the political statements could contravene state and federal law, including the Hatch Act of 1939, which forbids federal employees from participating in partisan political activity.

“Congressional Democrats decline to support funding for the U.S. government, and because of this, many of our activities are affected, and most of our TSA employees are working without pay,” the Secretary remarked in the video.

The Port of Portland Response

The Portland airport authority clarified that it “would not agree to displaying the PSA in its present version, as we maintain the Hatch Act explicitly forbids use of public assets for political aims.” It added that state regulations in Oregon prohibits public employees from promoting or opposing any political party and that consenting to broadcast this content would break state law.

Las Vegas Position

Las Vegas's Harry Reid airport also refused to show the TSA video on comparable reasons, stating in a statement that “the video's message contained political messaging that did not align with the impartial, informational nature of the PSAs usually displayed at security checkpoints” and also referenced the federal act.

Understanding the Hatch Act Regulations

The Hatch Act is a federal law that forbids partisan actions by government employees to guarantee that government programs remain impartial.

Additional Authority Rejections

• Phoenix airport airport stated that it “refused to post the PSA” to remain “consistent with airport policy,” which prohibits partisan material.
• The Seattle port authority, which operates Sea-Tac airport, similarly declined, citing “the partisan tone of the content.”
• Charlotte airport clarified that North Carolina municipal law and the airport's rules for screen content “do not allow the referenced video.” The airport also added that the Transportation Security Administration lacks ownership of any monitors at its checkpoints and that its few digital screens are designated for wayfinding, flight updates, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester Criticism

Westchester County, in a public comment, described the video “unacceptable, improper, and out of line with the values we anticipate from our federal leaders.”

“The PSA politicizes the impacts of a federal government shutdown on TSA operations,” the county executive said, adding that the message was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “undermines public trust.”

Homeland Security Reply

A Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, repeated the Secretary's wording to blame “political gamesmanship” in a response, stating that “Democratic leaders will shortly recognize the significance of opening the federal government.”

Cross-Party Appeals for Solution

The Port of Seattle said that it continued to “urge cooperative actions to resolve the government shutdown” and was striving to identify ways to assist federal employees unpaid during the closure.