Partisan Messaging Floods Federal Websites During Shutdown

At the start of the Oct. 1 government shutdown, federal agencies and the White House placed overtly partisan banners and notices across HUD, USDA, DOJ, Treasury, HHS, SBA, SSA, Interior, Labor and other sites and circulated out‑of‑office email templates blaming Senate Democrats for blocking a “clean” continuing resolution (H.R. 5371). HUD’s bright‑red banner echoed an OMB message and was later softened, while a White House website clock and automated replies also displayed partisan language. Internal objections and watchdog groups warned that suggesting or requiring such partisan language could coerce employees and violate the Hatch Act, prompting complaints and calls for investigations. White House officials, including Vice President J.D. Vance and press secretary Karoline Leavitt, repeatedly blamed Democrats and warned of layoffs and service disruptions affecting troops, air traffic controllers, Coast Guard members, and benefits like WIC and Medicare telehealth. Roughly 750,000 federal workers faced furloughs as agencies scrambled to keep critical services running and assess the economic fallout. The Senate’s failure to advance competing continuing resolutions left the government closed while both parties traded blame and bipartisan scrutiny grew over the use of official resources for political messaging.