🔗 Share this article

A number of prominent global airports across the United States, including Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas in NC, have opted to restrict a public service announcement from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that faults Democratic lawmakers for the current government closure from playing at their checkpoint areas.

Regulatory Concerns Raised by Aviation Authorities

Airport authorities in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester County have refused to display the video content at security checkpoints, stating that the political statements could contravene federal and state regulations, including the Hatch Act of 1939, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity.

“Democratic legislators decline to finance the U.S. government, and as a result, many of our operations are disrupted, and most of our Transportation Security Administration workers are unpaid,” Noem said in the video.

Portland Reaction

The Portland airport authority clarified that it “would not agree to displaying the PSA in its current form, as we maintain the federal law clearly prohibits utilization of government resources for political aims.” It added that Oregon law prohibits public employees from promoting or opposing any party affiliation and that consenting to play this video would break state law.

Las Vegas Statement

Las Vegas's Harry Reid airport also declined to show the security announcement on comparable reasons, noting in a statement that “the video's message included partisan statements that was inconsistent with the impartial, educational purpose of the public service announcements usually shown at checkpoint screens” and also cited the Hatch Act.

Understanding the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act of 1939 is a federal law that bans partisan actions by federal employees to guarantee that government programs remain impartial.

Further Authority Rejections

• Phoenix airport international airport explained that it “declined to post the PSA” to remain “consistent with airport policy,” which prohibits partisan material.
• The Port of Seattle, which operates Sea-Tac airport, also refused, pointing to “the partisan tone of the content.”
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport clarified that North Carolina local regulations and the airport's rules for screen content “do not permit the referenced video.” The airport also added that the Transportation Security Administration lacks ownership of any monitors at its checkpoints and that its limited digital screens are designated for wayfinding, travel information, and paid advertisements.

Westchester County Criticism

The county, in a public comment, described the video “inappropriate, unacceptable, and inconsistent with the values we anticipate from our federal leaders.”

“The PSA politicizes the impacts of a government closure on TSA operations,” the county leader stated, adding that the message was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “erodes public trust.”

DHS Reply

A Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, an agency representative, repeated the Secretary's wording to blame “political gamesmanship” in a statement, adding that “Democrats will shortly realize the significance of reopening the government.”

Bipartisan Calls for Solution

The Port of Seattle commented that it continued to “urge bipartisan efforts to end the federal closure” and was working to identify ways to assist federal employees unpaid during the shutdown.