WASHINGTON – When the federal government slipped into a shutdown at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, most Americans expected the usual notices: warnings that services would be delayed, that inquiries would go unanswered until funding was restored. What greeted some, however, was something far less benign: bold banners accusing Democrats—stridently termed the “radical left”—of shutting down the government.
At the Department of Housing and Urban Development, a large warning appeared over the agency’s homepage, declaring that congressional Democrats were responsible for the lapse in funding. Other agencies, from the Justice Department to the Agriculture Department, adopted similar language, placing blame squarely on one political party.
Due to the Radical Left Democrat shutdown, this government website will not be updated during the funding lapse. President Trump has made it clear he wants to keep the government open and support those who feed, fuel, and clothe the American people. — Department of Agriculture.
The unusual messaging has sparked criticism from government ethics experts, who say it blurs the line between official communication and partisan advocacy. By law, agencies are supposed to remain politically neutral in their public notices. The Hatch Act, which restricts political activity by federal employees, and the Anti-Lobbying Act, which bars the use of taxpayer funds to influence legislation, are both being cited by watchdogs raising alarms.
On Thursday, government watchdog group Public Citizen filed a Hatch Act complaint against the US Small Business Administration for the contents of their website.
“Donald Trump and his Administration are blatantly weaponizing the federal government and likely violating federal law to deflect blame for their shutdown,” said Congressman Robert Garcia, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. “Our federal agencies are supposed to work for the American people, not one political party or ideology.
Greer and Congressional Democrats have sent a letter to Special Counsel Jamieson Greer asking for an investigation.
A review of federal websites shows a range of approaches: some adopted explicitly partisan language, others referred generally to the “radical left,” while several posted neutral notices simply informing the public that updates would not occur until funding was restored.
This attack posture was evident during the White House press briefing where Vice President JD Vance arrived and continued the theme. “The reason your government is shut down at this very minute is because… the Chuck Schumer–AOC wing of the Democratic Party shut down the government,” Vance said from the White House podium. He claimed that Democrats conditioned reopening the government on billions of dollars in health care funding for undocumented immigrants, a demand he called “a ridiculous proposition.”
