WH changed federal workers’ emails to blame Dems for shutdown: Report
Furloughed federal employees have claimed they were told to blame Democrats for the government shutdown in their out-of-office email messages. In some cases, employees said, the messages were altered by the Trump administration, according to multiple reports.
The revelation comes in addition to messages across federal websites that accuse the “radical left” for the closure of the federal government.
What do the messages say?
According to ABC News, automated replies from the Department of Labor were changed to reflect this messaging.
“Unfortunately, Democrat Senators are blocking passage of H.R. 5371 in the Senate which has led to a lapse in appropriations,” one reported automatic email read. “Due to the lapse in appropriations I am currently in furlough status. I will respond to emails once government functions resume.”
The Office of Budget Management also reportedly provided a similar template for employees to follow to create out-of-office responses.
“Furloughed Employees: Thank you for contacting me. On Sept. 19, 2025, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5371, a clean continuing resolution,” the email template read, according to ABC News. “Unfortunately, Democrat Senators are blocking the 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 directive does not apply to all federal employees as some departments did not reportedly receive the guidance.
Department of Education employees had emails changed
However, a number of furloughed workers at the Department of Education told CNN, ABC News and NBC News that their out-of-office automatic replies were changed without their consent or prior knowledge to reflect the partisan message.
“They changed our out-of-office message … They did it after everyone left,” one Department of Education employee told ABC.
“[I’m] so pissed,” the employee added.
Hatch Act violation?
Some legal analysts have questioned whether such practices violate the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in certain partisan political activity. A legal challenge accusing the Trump administration of violating the law has already been filed, CBS News reported.
Critics assert the politicization of the messages only plays into an already tense atmosphere.
“It’s hard to imagine a worse time for the government to be suggesting implicitly or explicitly that half the country is disfavored,” Donald Sherman, executive director for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, told Newsweek.
Trump administration defends move
The Trump administration has defended the approach.
“This is not propaganda … This is just about letting the American people know what’s going on,” Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner told NewsNation.
“It’s an objective fact that Democrats are responsible for the government shutdown,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Newsweek. “The Trump administration is simply sharing the truth with the American people.”
Ongoing shutdown
The government shutdown began Wednesday after the Senate failed to reach an agreement on a temporary funding bill. While Republicans hold 53 seats in the Senate compared to the Democrats’ 45, 60 votes are needed to get past a procedural mechanism to pass the legislation.
Top Democrats have pledged to withhold votes to reopen the government unless the GOP agrees to extend health premium subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. Republicans have refused that demand so far.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
