Screenshot of a message displayed on the U.S. Forest Service website, which some claim violates the federal Hatch Act prohibiting political activity
Kirk Siegler/NPR
hide caption
toggle caption
Kirk Siegler/NPR
Legal challenges are mounting against the Trump administration over politically charged language featured on federal websites and in government email communications that attribute the shutdown-risk/” title=”Trump Calls Off Meeting with Democrats, Raising Stakes for Government …: …”>government shutdown to Democratic lawmakers.
The dispute revolves around messages prominently displayed atop federal agency websites and embedded in automated email replies. These messages caution that responses may be delayed due to what is termed the “Radical Left Democrat Shutdown.” Critics, including Democratic officials and a federal employees union, contend that this phrasing breaches the 1939 Hatch Act, which prohibits executive branch employees from engaging in partisan political activities during work hours.
In a formal grievance submitted to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, Todd Achilles, a former Democratic state legislator from Idaho, asserts that such language constitutes an impermissible political statement on government platforms.
“I lodged this complaint because public lands should remain free from political manipulation,” Achilles explained to NPR. “The Forest Service’s mission is to serve every American, irrespective of their political beliefs.”
However, the timeline for addressing Achilles’ complaint remains uncertain. An automated response from the Special Counsel’s office indicated that the Hatch Act Unit is currently unavailable due to funding lapses.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which supervises the Forest Service, has yet to provide a comment to NPR. Since the onset of the shutdown last week, the department’s automated email replies have echoed similar language. Both the out-of-office messages and website notices emphasize that President Trump is committed to keeping the government operational and supporting those who sustain the nation’s food, energy, and clothing supply chains.
On Friday, the American Federation of Government Employees, representing federal workers, filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education over comparable automated emails and issued a cease and desist demand.
Veteran federal land managers warn that such partisan rhetoric undermines the morale of civil servants, many of whom face layoffs or early retirement amid the Trump administration’s efforts to significantly reduce the size of the federal workforce.
Steve Ellis, who served as deputy director of the Bureau of Land Management during the Obama administration, condemned the use of overtly partisan messages on official agency websites.
“Throughout our careers, we have never encountered anything remotely like this,” Ellis remarked in an email.
