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As the federal government shutdown continues, President Donald Trump’s administration has found a new and legally questionable way to score political points over the issue. The administration is using government websites and employees’ email messages to blame Democrats for the situation, a tactic that breaks political norms and possibly violates federal law.
Administration uses federal agencies to spread partisan messaging on shutdown
The websites of several government agencies impacted by the federal shutdown are now displaying partisan messages blaming Democrats for the closures. According to NBC News, the Department of Housing and Urban Development website has a message that reads, “The Radical Left in Congress shut down the government. HUD will use available resources to help Americans in need.” The website also leads to a pop-up with a similar message. Other agencies, including the Treasury Department and the Forest Service, also have messages on their websites blaming Democrats for the current situation. The State Department’s website says, “Due to the Democrat-led shutdown, website updates will be limited until full operations resume,” per NBC News.
Federal agencies have also been emailing their employees with partisan messages. A high-ranking State Department official emailed employees, “Unfortunately, Democrats are blocking this Continuing Resolution in the U.S. Senate due to unrelated policy demands,” NBC News reported. The message from the undersecretary for management continues, “If Congressional Democrats maintain their current posture and refuse to pass a clean Continuing Resolution to keep the government funded before midnight on September 30, 2025, federal appropriated funding will lapse.” Federal employees who are furloughed by the shutdown are also being encouraged to add political statements to their out-of-office automated email replies. According to NBC News, one template sent to federal workers reads: “Thank you for contacting me. On September 19, 2025, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5371, a clean continuing resolution. Unfortunately, Democrat Senators are blocking passage of H.R. 5371 in the Senate which has led to a lapse in appropriations. Due to the lapse in appropriations I am currently in furlough status. I will respond to emails once government functions resume.” The messaging appears to be widespread but not universal, as employees for some agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Justice Department, have not received the email templates.
Violations of ethics and possibly the law
The partisan messages, some posted before the shutdown began and others appearing to be added later, have raised ethical and legal concerns. Speaking of one of the messages posted on the HUD website, Donald Sherman, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and former Obama administration official, said, “This is not something that any other HUD administration would have done because it seems to not only violate norms but also violate the code of conduct for government employees,” according to NBC News. The messages may also violate the 1939 Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from making or spreading political messages as part of the performance of their official duties.
These brazen violations of norms and possibly federal law come as Trump and Republicans attempt to place blame on Democrats for the government shutdown, the third such shutdown to occur under Trump during his two terms in office. Democrats on Tuesday rejected a Republican-supported bill to keep the government open, while Republicans likewise voted against a Democratic measure that would include provisions for health care spending. Trump, meanwhile, has largely contributed to the debate by distributing racist and misleading video of Democratic leaders on social media while also threatening to fire furloughed workers.
With Congress adjourned for Yom Kippur and the House in recess until Oct. 7, the prospects of an immediate deal to end the shutdown remain low. Until then, Trump and his allies appear willing and eager to break ethical standards and potentially the law in order to score partisan points as the stalemate leaves hundreds of thousands of Americans temporarily out of work.
