🔗 Share this article US Airports Block Kristi Noem Video Faulting Democrats for Federal Closure A number of major global airports across the America, including Phoenix's Sky Harbor, Harry Reid International, Seattle–Tacoma, and Charlotte Douglas in NC, have decided to restrict a video from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that blames Democrats for the current government closure from being shown at their checkpoint areas. Legal Concerns Raised by Aviation Officials Aviation administrators in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Westchester, New York have declined to show the footage at security checkpoints, stating that the political statements could violate state and federal law, such as the Hatch Act, which prohibits government workers from engaging in partisan actions. “Congressional Democrats refuse to fund the U.S. government, and because of this, many of our activities are affected, and most of our TSA workers are working without pay,” Noem stated in the video. The Port of Portland Reaction The Port of Portland noted that it “would not agree to playing the PSA in its current form, as we consider the federal law clearly prohibits utilization of government resources for partisan messaging.” It added that state regulations in Oregon bars government staff from promoting or opposing any party affiliation and that agreeing to play this content would break state law. Las Vegas Position Las Vegas's Harry Reid International Airport also declined to display the security announcement on similar grounds, stating in a statement that “its content included political messaging that was inconsistent with the neutral, educational nature of the PSAs typically shown at checkpoint screens” and also cited the Hatch Act. Explaining the Hatch Act Regulations The Hatch Act of 1939 is a U.S. law that forbids partisan actions by government employees to guarantee that government programs stay impartial. Additional Airport Responses Phoenix Sky Harbor international airport stated that it “refused to post the PSA” to stay “in line with airport policy,” which prohibits partisan material. The Seattle port authority, which operates Sea-Tac airport, also declined, citing “the partisan tone of the video.” Charlotte airport said that state municipal law and the airport's rules for digital content “do not allow the referenced video.” The authority also added that the Transportation Security Administration does not own any screens at its checkpoints and that its limited display monitors are reserved for wayfinding, flight updates, and paid advertisements. Westchester County Criticism The county, in a statement, called the video “unacceptable, unacceptable, and out of line with the standards we anticipate from our nation’s top public officials.” “The public service announcement politicizes the effects of a federal government shutdown on security operations,” the county executive said, adding that the tone was “overly alarming” and “undermines customer confidence.” DHS Reply A Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, an agency representative, repeated the Secretary's language to blame “political gamesmanship” in a statement, stating that “Democrats will shortly recognize the importance of opening the government.” Bipartisan Calls for Solution The Port of Seattle said that it continued to “encourage bipartisan efforts to end the government shutdown” and was working to identify ways to assist government workers working without pay during the shutdown.