US Air Hubs Block Homeland Security PSA Blaming Democratic Party for Government Shutdown

A number of prominent international airports across the US, including Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in NC, have decided to block a video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that blames Democratic lawmakers for the ongoing government closure from being shown at their screening locations.

Legal Concerns Cited by Aviation Authorities

Airport authorities in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester County have refused to broadcast the video content at screening areas, stating that the clearly partisan content could contravene state and federal law, such as the Hatch Act of 1939, which forbids government workers from participating in political campaigning.

“Congressional Democrats refuse to fund the federal government, and because of this, many of our functions are disrupted, and most of our Transportation Security Administration staff are unpaid,” the Secretary remarked in the video.

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 explicitly forbids use of public assets for political purposes.” It added that state regulations in Oregon bars public employees from promoting or opposing any political party and that agreeing to broadcast this content would break Oregon law.

Las Vegas Statement

Las Vegas's Harry Reid International Airport also declined to display the TSA video on similar grounds, stating in a release that “the video's message included political messaging that was inconsistent with the neutral, educational nature of the PSAs usually displayed at checkpoint screens” and also cited the Hatch Act.

Explaining the Hatch Act Regulations

The Hatch Act is a U.S. law that forbids political activities by federal employees to ensure that government programs remain unbiased.

Additional Authority Responses

• Phoenix Sky Harbor international airport explained that it “declined to post the video” to stay “in line with airport policy,” which prohibits partisan material.
• The Seattle port authority, which operates Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, also refused, citing “the partisan tone of the video.”
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport clarified that North Carolina municipal law and the airport's rules for screen content “do not permit the video in question.” The airport also noted that the Transportation Security Administration does not own any monitors at its checkpoints and that its limited digital screens are reserved for directions, travel information, and paid advertisements.

Westchester Criticism

The county, in a statement, called the PSA “inappropriate, unacceptable, and inconsistent with the standards we anticipate from our nation’s top public officials.”

“The public service announcement makes political the impacts of a government closure on TSA operations,” the county executive stated, noting that the tone was “overly alarming” and “erodes public trust.”

Homeland Security Response

A DHS assistant secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, repeated Noem’s language to blame “partisan tactics” in a response, stating that “Democrats will shortly recognize the importance of opening the government.”

Cross-Party Calls for Solution

The Port of Seattle said that it continued to “encourage cooperative actions to resolve the federal closure” and was striving to identify methods to assist federal employees working without pay during the shutdown.