🔗 Share this article American Air Hubs Refuse Kristi Noem Video Blaming Democratic Party for Government Shutdown A number of major international air travel hubs across the US, among them Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Las Vegas's Harry Reid Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Charlotte Douglas in North Carolina, have opted to block a video from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that blames Democratic lawmakers for the ongoing government closure from airing at their checkpoint areas. Legal Concerns Cited by Aviation Officials Airport authorities in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Charlotte, and Westchester County have declined to broadcast the footage at screening areas, stating that the political statements could breach federal and state regulations, including the Hatch Act of 1939, which prohibits government workers from participating in partisan actions. “Democrats in Congress refuse to finance the federal government, and because of this, many of our operations are disrupted, and most of our Transportation Security Administration employees are working without pay,” Noem remarked in the announcement. Portland Reaction The Port of Portland explained that it “would not agree to displaying the PSA in its present version, as we maintain the federal law clearly prohibits utilization of government resources for partisan messaging.” It added that state regulations in Oregon prohibits public employees from promoting or opposing any party affiliation and that agreeing to broadcast this content would violate state law. Las Vegas Position Las Vegas's Harry Reid airport also declined to show the TSA video on similar grounds, stating in a statement that “its content contained political messaging that was inconsistent with the impartial, educational nature of the PSAs usually displayed at checkpoint screens” and also cited the federal act. Understanding the Hatch Act Regulations The Hatch Act is a U.S. law that prohibits political activities by government employees to ensure that public services remain impartial. Additional Authority Responses Phoenix Sky Harbor international airport stated that it “declined to post the PSA” to remain “consistent with airport guidelines,” which does not allow political content. The Port of Seattle, which operates Sea-Tac airport, also refused, citing “the partisan tone of the content.” Charlotte Douglas International Airport said that North Carolina local regulations and the airport’s policy for digital content “do not permit the video in question.” The authority also added that the TSA lacks ownership of any monitors at its checkpoints and that its few display monitors are reserved for directions, flight updates, and revenue-generating services. Westchester Criticism Westchester County, in a public comment, described the PSA “inappropriate, improper, and out of line with the standards we anticipate from our federal leaders.” “The PSA makes political the impacts of a federal government shutdown on security operations,” the county executive stated, adding that the message was “unnecessarily alarmist” and “undermines customer confidence.” Homeland Security Response A Department of Homeland Security official, Tricia McLaughlin, echoed Noem’s wording to attribute fault to “political gamesmanship” in a response, adding that “Democrats will shortly recognize the importance of opening the federal government.” Bipartisan Calls for Solution The Port of Seattle commented that it continued to “encourage cooperative actions to resolve the government shutdown” and was working to identify methods to assist federal employees unpaid during the closure.