Overview

• HUD, USDA, and White House websites displayed banners asserting Democrats caused the shutdown, including language such as “The Radical Left in Congress shut down the government.”
• Rep. Robert Garcia requested an Office of Special Counsel investigation into possible Hatch Act violations tied to these official messages.
• Employees reported being pushed to use partisan out-of-office replies, with Education Department staff saying automatic messages were reverted to blame Democrats despite attempts to change them.
• HHS acknowledged it suggested an out-of-office template that blamed Democrats and defended the guidance as accurate in comments to CNN.
• Legal experts told POLITICO the conduct may fall outside the Hatch Act but could violate the Anti-Lobbying Act, while the SBA’s banner also praised Trump’s leadership during the shutdown.