HUD Secretary Defends Website Criticizing Democrats Amid U.S. Government Shutdown

Scott Turner, President Trump's Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, defended his agency's use of its official website to blame Democrats, referred to as "The Radical Left," for the 2025 federal government shutdown. The HUD website initially displayed a banner accusing Democrats of shutting down the government unless their $1.5 trillion demands were met, which was later shortened to state that "The Radical Left in Congress shut down the government." Turner dismissed concerns that the messaging violated the Hatch Act—a law restricting partisan political activities by federal employees—asserting that the banners were not propaganda but efforts to inform the American public about the shutdown's impacts. The government shutdown resulted from a funding impasse in Congress, with Democrats demanding restoration of subsidies for health insurance and reversal of Medicaid cuts included in Trump’s legislation. Turner emphasized HUD's commitment to using available resources to assist vulnerable Americans despite the shutdown's effects on services. His stance reflects the Trump administration's broader approach of using official government platforms for politically charged messaging during the shutdown.