US EditionFederal Shutdown Messaging Sparks Hatch Act Conversation
Federal agencies posted partisan messages blaming Democrats during the shutdown, prompting 54 complaints alleging violations of the Hatch Act and related laws, watchdogs say.
- On Oct. 15, 2025, federal agency websites displayed partisan shutdown banners blaming Democrats, including a message on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development homepage.
- Common Cause filed 54 complaints weeks ago after the White House and Office of Management and Budget directed agencies to post coordinated shutdown messages.
- The Department of Education allegedly altered federal employees' out-of-office auto-replies without consent, while Health and Human Services and the Small Business Administration directed staff to use similar partisan messages.
- With watchdogs furloughed, complaints sit unread and unreviewed as the Office of Special Counsel and Merit Systems Protection Board suspend operations, delaying enforcement of Hatch Act penalties.
- Legal uncertainty persists over whether these communications breach the Hatch Act, while legal experts and oversight advocates support Common Cause's proposal for a single independent watchdog to address irreversible message effects.
31 Articles
31 Articles
Partisan shutdown messages may violate federal law, experts say
For decades, federal shutdowns have mostly been budget fights. The 2025 one has become bigger than that: It’s turned into a messaging war. Official government communications, including website banners, out-of-office email replies and autogenerated responses that denounce “Senate Democrats,” “the Radical Left” or “Democrats’ $1.5 trillion wishlist” for closing the government, mark a sharp break from past practice. These messages are more than rhe…
Shutdown warnings turned into partisan messaging after ethics rules failed to hold the line
Interview transcript: Terry Gerton You have said that the federal ethics oversight system is fragmented, outdated and not fit for purpose. Tell me more about that particular diagnosis. Omar Noureldin Well, Terry, that diagnosis came after Common Cause, the organization for which I work, filed 54 complaints with various federal ethics, accountability, oversight bodies a couple weeks ago. And in doing that, we realized that there were several vio…
When Government Websites Become Campaign Tools: Blaming The Shutdown On Democrats Has Legal And Political Risks
Screenshot of the Department of Health and Human Services homepage on Oct. 14, 2025. (Courtesy of HHS website) By Stephanie A. (Sam) MartinThe ConversationFor decades, federal shutdowns have mostly been budget fights. The 2025 one has become bigger than that: It’s turned into a messaging war. Official government communications, including website banners, out-of-office email replies and autogenerated responses that denounce “Senate Democrats,” “…
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