Particle.news
Download on the App Store
12 ARTICLES
·
7h ago

Federal Union Sues Over Education Dept. Out-of-Office Emails Changed to Blame Democrats

The suit says the administration commandeered furloughed Education staffers’ accounts for partisan blame, prompting Hatch Act complaints.

The U.S. Capitol is seen on the second day of the government shutdown, in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
The Department of Education building in Washington, Feb. 20, 2025.
People walk in front of the Department of Education building, amid reports that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration will take steps to defund the federal Education Department, in Washington, U.S., February 4, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
The Department of Education in Washington D.C. on June 6, 2025.

Overview

  • AFGE filed a federal lawsuit seeking to halt the Education Department’s use of altered automated replies, alleging a First Amendment violation by forcing employees to convey partisan messaging.
  • Furloughed staff reported their out-of-office messages were changed without consent and sometimes reverted after they tried to restore neutral language, with replies blaming “Democrat Senators” for the shutdown.
  • The Office of Management and Budget circulated templates encouraging blame-focused replies, and multiple agency websites carried banners faulting Democrats or the “Radical Left,” including HUD, DOJ, SBA, State and USDA.
  • Administration officials defended the language as factual, with Education Department communications and White House spokespeople asserting Democrats blocked a clean continuing resolution.
  • Democratic lawmakers and watchdog groups asked the Office of Special Counsel to investigate potential Hatch Act violations, as legal experts publicly disagreed on whether the messaging meets that threshold.