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Scott Turner, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, was confronted by Chris Cuomo on “NewsNation” on Tuesday after his department seemingly violated federal law to blame Democrats for the current government shutdown.
Turner is facing scrutiny after a blaring red banner on HUD’s website read: “The radical left are going to shut down the government and inflict massive pain on the American people unless they get their $1.5 trillion wish list of demands. The Trump administration wants to keep the government open for the American people.”
The website has since been updated to read: “The Radical Left in Congress shut down the government. HUD will use available resources to help Americans in need.”
It was a stunning political act for a typically nonpolitical agency. More importantly, it may have violated the Hatch Act, a federal law that restricts the partisan political activities of federal executive branch employees.
When pressed by Cuomo on “NewsNation,” Turner defended the potential law-breaking political act.
“I’ve heard all the cries and the outcry and people saying this is propaganda, that it’s a violation of the Hatch Act…to me, the Democrats in the far left are using this as a distraction to really deflect from what’s really important here and that’s how it’s been irresponsible actions on the Hill, and American people are being impacted greatly by this government shutdown,” said Turner, a former NFL player and member of the Texas House of Representatives.
Turner, who previously served in the first Trump administration, is the only Black person to serve in the Trump White House Cabinet.
HUD, which provides housing assistance for millions of low-income households and administers federal housing and urban development laws, is likely unable to deliver most of its services during the shutdown.
“The resources that these families rely on literally are in limbo and in jeopardy because of this government shutdown,” said Turner. “We are really focused on serving the most vulnerable people of this country.”
Despite HUD’s political messaging that “radical left” Democrats are to blame for the shutdown, who is actually to blame depends on perspective.
The government shutdown took effect at 12:01 a.m. after Republicans and Democrats in Congress failed to reach an agreement to fund the government past Oct. 1. Though Republicans control the White House, the House of Representatives, and the U.S. Senate, they do not have enough votes in the Senate to pass a budget bill–needing at least 7 Democrats to vote in favor.
At the heart of the political deadlock is health care. Democrats want to permanently extend tax credits under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, to ensure health care premiums remain affordable for millions of Americans. Democrats would also like to restore more than $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and Medicare that were clawed back by Republicans who passed President Donald Trump’s signature “One, Big, Beautiful Bill,” which provides $3.8 trillion in tax cuts that economists say will mostly benefit the wealthiest Americans.
Republicans have accused Democrats of shutting down the government because they want to provide taxpayer health care to immigrants who are not in the U.S. legally. Democrats deny the claim, citing that federal law prohibits their eligibility.
Jeremy Edwards, a former White House spokesperson for the Biden administration and senior communications advisor at the Century Foundation, told theGrio of HUD’s political message on its website: “The language used by HUD regarding Trump’s shutdown represents a blatant violation of the Hatch Act, but is unsurprising for an administration that has used its last eight months in office to assault the rule of law and trample the Constitution.”
“The bottom line is this: Donald Trump and the Republican Party control all three branches of government—this is their shutdown and they know it. Democrats are under no obligation to enable their authoritarian agenda,” Edwards added. “If Republicans need help to do their job and keep the government open, they need to work with Democrats, who are simply asking to protect healthcare for millions of hardworking Americans. Anything less underscores their inability to govern.”
According to a recent poll conducted by The Washington Post, a significant majority of Americans blame President Trump and Republicans for the shutdown.
Forty-seven percent of respondents blame the White House and Republicans, while 30% blame Democrats. Another 23% say they are unsure.
You can watch Chris Cumomo’s full interview with Cuomo below:
