Summary
The Trump administration has been encouraging furloughed federal workers to use out-of-office email messages blaming Democrats for a government shutdown. This move may violate laws that restrict political activities by federal employees. A consumer advocacy group has filed complaints, pointing out potential breaches of these laws.
Key Facts
- The government shutdown began on a Wednesday, leading to some federal agencies circulating email templates blaming Democrats.
- The Trump administration's use of these templates might breach the Anti-Lobbying Act, which forbids using public money for political messaging.
- Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group, claims the emails and website posts violate the Hatch Act, which limits political activities by federal workers.
- The complaint focuses on agency websites as well as the emails.
- Email templates reportedly thank correspondents and blame "Democrat Senators" for not passing a funding bill.
- Reports indicate the Small Business Administration (SBA) used a similar template highlighting the impact on small businesses.
- An SBA spokesperson stated the funding bill failure results from Senate Democrats' actions.
- The White House and several government agencies did not respond to media requests for comment on the issue.
