US Airports Block Homeland Security Video Blaming Democrats for Government Shutdown

A number of prominent international airports across the US, including Phoenix Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas in North Carolina, have chosen to restrict a video from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that attributes responsibility to Democrats for the ongoing federal government shutdown from playing at their security checkpoints.

Legal Concerns Raised by Aviation Officials

Airport authorities in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester County have declined to show the footage at screening areas, stating that the overtly political messaging could breach federal and state regulations, including the Hatch Act of 1939, which bars government workers from participating in partisan political activity.

“Democratic legislators refuse to fund the federal government, and as a result, many of our operations are affected, and most of our TSA employees are working without pay,” Noem stated in the video.

The Port of Portland Reaction

The Portland airport authority clarified that it “did not consent to airing the PSA in its present version, as we consider the federal law clearly prohibits use of public assets for political aims.” The port further stated that state regulations in Oregon bars government staff from supporting or criticizing any party affiliation and that consenting to play this content would break state law.

Harry Reid International Position

Las Vegas's Harry Reid airport also refused to show the security announcement on similar grounds, saying in a release that “the video's message included political messaging that did not align with the neutral, educational nature of the PSAs typically displayed at checkpoint screens” and also cited the federal act.

Understanding the Hatch Act

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

Further Airport Rejections

• Phoenix airport international airport stated that it “declined to post the PSA” to remain “consistent with airport guidelines,” which prohibits political content.
• The Seattle port authority, which operates Sea-Tac airport, also declined, pointing to “the partisan tone of the content.”
• Charlotte airport clarified that North Carolina municipal law and the airport’s policy for digital content “do not allow the referenced video.” The airport also noted that the Transportation Security Administration does not own any screens at its checkpoints and that its limited display monitors are designated for wayfinding, flight updates, and paid advertisements.

Westchester Criticism

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

“The PSA politicizes the effects of a federal government shutdown on security operations,” the county executive stated, adding that the tone was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “erodes public trust.”

DHS Response

A Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, echoed the Secretary's language to attribute fault to “partisan tactics” in a response, stating that “Democrats will shortly realize the significance of reopening the federal government.”

Cross-Party Appeals for Resolution

The Seattle authority said that it continued to “encourage cooperative actions to resolve the government shutdown” and was working to identify ways to support federal employees unpaid during the shutdown.