Trump Administration Blames Democrats for Shutdown, Violates Hatch Act

Government Shutdown Tactics

• 🎯 The Trump administration is actively blaming Democrats for the ongoing government shutdown.
• 📧 Department of Education employees found their nonpartisan out-of-office email messages automatically changed to partisan ones blaming Democrats, without their consent.
• ⚠️ At least five furloughed employees reported these unauthorized changes, with one employee's message being reverted to partisan after they attempted to correct it.

Hatch Act Violation

• ⚖️ The partisan messaging in emails and on government websites is widely considered a violation of the Hatch Act.
• 📜 The Hatch Act, a federal law from 1939, prohibits federal employees from engaging in partisan political activities to ensure nonpartisan administration of federal programs.

Broader Implications of the Shutdown

• 🏥 Obamacare health care subsidies are set to expire, potentially doubling premiums for over twenty-two million people.
• 📉 Republicans have used simple majority votes to remove items previously agreed upon in compromise budget negotiations.
• ✊ Calls for Democrats to hold the line have intensified, with some viewing the shutdown as a sign of resistance against the administration.
• ⏳ Given the stakes and the administration's behavior, the shutdown is unlikely to end soon, as Republicans require five Democratic senators to reopen the government.