Overview

• The American Federation of Government Employees filed the complaint on Friday, asking a court to block the Department of Education from changing employees’ shutdown messages.
• AFGE alleges some workers’ out-of-office notes were altered without consent to blame Democratic senators for blocking H.R. 5371, language the filing reproduces verbatim.
• The union, represented by Democracy Forward and Public Citizen Litigation Group, also sent cease-and-desist letters tied to the alleged practice.
• Similar partisan phrasing has appeared in messages or notices at multiple agencies and in a White House press auto-reply, drawing warnings from experts about Hatch Act risks and employees’ rights.
• The White House referred questions to the Education Department, which has not responded publicly, as House Oversight Democrats requested an investigation into agency messaging.