American Airports Block Kristi Noem Video Blaming Democratic Party for Federal Closure

Several key international air travel hubs across the United States, such as Phoenix Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas Airport in NC, have chosen to prevent a public service announcement from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that attributes responsibility to Democrats for the continuing government closure from airing at their screening locations.

Regulatory Concerns Cited by Aviation Officials

Aviation administrators in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester County have declined to show the footage at screening areas, stating that the political statements could breach federal and state regulations, including the Hatch Act of 1939, which bars federal employees from engaging in partisan actions.

“Democratic legislators refuse to fund the federal government, and because of this, many of our activities are disrupted, and most of our TSA workers are not receiving wages,” the Secretary stated in the video.

The Port of Portland Reaction

The Portland airport authority explained that it “would not agree to airing the video in its current form, as we consider the federal law clearly prohibits utilization of government resources for political purposes.” It added that Oregon law prohibits government staff from promoting or opposing any party affiliation and that consenting to play this content would violate Oregon law.

Las Vegas Position

The Harry Reid International Airport also refused to show the TSA video on comparable reasons, saying in a release that “its content included political messaging that was inconsistent with the neutral, educational nature of the public service announcements usually displayed at checkpoint screens” and also cited the federal act.

Explaining the Hatch Act

The Hatch Act is a federal law that bans political activities by government employees to guarantee that government programs stay unbiased.

Additional Airport 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 Port of Seattle, which manages Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, also declined, pointing to “the political nature of the content.”
• Charlotte airport clarified that North Carolina local regulations and the airport’s policy for screen content “do not allow the video in question.” The authority also added that the TSA does not own any screens at its security areas and that its few digital screens are reserved for directions, travel information, and revenue-generating services.

Westchester County Objection

Westchester County, in a statement, called the PSA “inappropriate, improper, and out of line with the values we expect from our federal leaders.”

“The PSA politicizes the impacts of a government closure on security operations,” the county executive stated, adding that the message was “overly alarming” and “undermines public trust.”

Homeland Security Response

A DHS assistant secretary, an agency representative, echoed the Secretary's language to blame “partisan tactics” in a statement, adding that “Democratic leaders will shortly recognize the importance of opening the government.”

Bipartisan Appeals for Solution

The Port of Seattle commented that it continued to “urge cooperative actions to end the federal closure” and was striving to identify ways to assist government workers working without pay during the closure.