Administration Uses Agency Sites to Blame Democrats
On Sept. 30, 2025, NPR reported that the Trump administration posted a partisan banner and popup on HUD’s public website and circulated OMB emails to multiple federal agencies blaming 'the Radical Left' and congressional Democrats for a likely government shutdown. The communications — echoed by a VA statement quoting press secretary Pete Kasperowicz — have prompted ethics concerns and warnings from experts that the messages could violate the Hatch Act and other federal rules governing political activity by executive-branch employees.
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🔍 Key Facts
- HUD displayed a bright red banner and popup on its public website on Sept. 30, 2025 blaming the 'Radical Left' for an impending shutdown and urging support for a 'clean Continuing Resolution' (H.R. 5371).
- The White House Office of Management and Budget sent a message to staff at multiple agencies (Interior, Commerce, Labor, State, Treasury, HHS, SSA, GSA, OPM, NLRB among others) stating any lapse would be 'forced by Congressional Democrats.'
- The Department of Veterans Affairs issued a statement using sharply partisan language (VA press secretary Pete Kasperowicz referenced 'radical liberals in Congress'), and ethics lawyers warned the communications could violate the Hatch Act.
📍 Contextual Background
- Social Security benefits are funded through mandatory spending, meaning the program's funding is provided without an annual expiration and does not require yearly appropriations to continue benefit payments.
- The Social Security Administration's contingency plans provide that in the event of a lapse in appropriations the agency will follow those plans and beneficiaries would continue receiving Social Security, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments.
- During a U.S. federal government shutdown, active-duty military personnel and deployed National Guard members must continue to perform their assigned duties but their pay is delayed until the shutdown ends.
- Republicans and Democrats were engaged in negotiations over government funding ahead of an upcoming funding deadline described as occurring on a Tuesday.
- Civilian personnel whose work the Department of Defense designates as 'excepted' continue to work during a government shutdown, while other Department of Defense civilian employees are furloughed.
- The Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 provides that government employees automatically receive back pay after a government shutdown.
- Congress enacted the Pay Our Military Act in 2013 to ensure military pay and allowances continued during a government shutdown.