Several major US airports have refused to air a video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that blames Democrats for the ongoing federal government shutdown. Airports including Phoenix Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International in Las Vegas, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas in North Carolina cited laws barring partisan political content at security checkpoints.
The airports said the overtly political messaging potentially violates state and federal law, including the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from partisan political activity. The Port of Portland stated it believed the Hatch Act clearly prohibits the use of public assets for political purposes, and that Oregon law bars public employees from promoting any political party.
Las Vegas's Harry Reid International Airport declined to display the video, saying its content included political messaging that did not align with the neutral, informational nature of public service announcements typically shown at checkpoints. Phoenix Sky Harbor said it declined to post the video to stay consistent with airport policy, which does not allow political content.
In the video, obtained first by Fox News, Noem tells travellers: “Democrats in Congress refuse to fund the federal government, and because of this, many of our operations are impacted, and most of our TSA employees are working without pay.” A Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, echoed Noem's language, blaming “political gamesmanship” and adding that “Democrats will soon recognise the importance of opening the government.”
Charlotte Douglas International Airport said North Carolina municipal law and its digital content policy did not permit the video, also noting that TSA does not own any monitors at its checkpoints. Westchester County called the video “inappropriate, unacceptable, and inconsistent with the values we expect from our nation's top public officials”, stating it was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “undermines public trust”.
