Government Shutdown of [Date]: Partisan Messaging in Agency Communications and Employee Reactions

1. Small Business Administration (SBA) Shutdown Email Template Sparks Hatch Act Concerns

On the first morning of the U.S. government shutdown—Wednesday at 9:35 a.m.—employees at the Small Business Administration (SBA) received a human resources-approved "out-of-office" email template, which explicitly directed blame toward Senate Democrats. The template read:

"I am out of office for the foreseeable future because Senate Democrats voted to block a clean federal spending bill (HR 5371), leading to a government shutdown that is preventing the US Small Business Administration from serving America’s 36 million small businesses. Every day that Senate Democrats continue to oppose a clean funding bill, they are stopping an estimated 320 small businesses from accessing $170 million in SBA-guaranteed funding."

Following this, the message added that once the shutdown concludes, "we are prepared to immediately return to the record-breaking services we are providing under the leadership of the Trump Administration."

An anonymous SBA employee, citing concerns over unauthorized public comments, stated: "My jaw dropped when I read it... it would be a blatant violation of the Hatch Act." The Hatch Act, a federal law governing political activities for government employees, prohibits partisan messaging and protects employees from political coercion in the workplace. Violations can result in termination.

University of Michigan public policy professor Don Moynihan characterized the directive as "coerced speech where the government is forcing employees to spread its propaganda in communicating with the public." SBA did not respond to requests for comment, and none of its press team members utilized the suggested template.

2. Divergent Shutdown Communications Across Federal Agencies

While SBA’s template emphasized partisan blame, other agencies issued more neutral directives:

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

The USDA’s out-of-office message cited the "lapse in federal government funding" as the reason for furlough, directing readers to USA.gov for updates.

Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

HUD’s website featured a prominent red banner declaring: "The Radical Left in Congress shut down the government. HUD will use available resources to help Americans in need." This language was mirrored in internal employee systems (e.g., the hud@work platform) and a top agency website pop-up. An anonymous HUD staffer reported: "You can’t click anything without these annoying pop-ups. Every single click to get to a time card or HRConnect... It’s fucking nuts." HUD did not respond to requests for comment.

Department of Justice (DOJ)

DOJ’s website displayed a banner stating: "Democrats have shut down the government. Department of Justice websites are not currently regularly updated." DOJ also declined to comment.

3. Pre-Shutdown Partisan Messaging from Agency Leadership

In the days preceding the shutdown, agency leaders sent emails to employees with similarly partisan framing:

• HUD Deputy Secretary Andrew Hughes: An email titled "Far Left Gov Shutdown Imminent" instructed staff on shutdown protocols.

• Department of the Interior (DOI): A memo from Secretary Doug Burgum blamed Democrats for blocking HR 5371, a "clean Continuing Resolution" passed by the House but opposed by Senate Democrats.

• SBA (Chief Human Capital Officer): A nearly identical DOI-style email from SBA’s CHCO also attributed the shutdown to Democratic "unrelated policy demands."

Moynihan criticized the tone of these communications: "The language is very antagonistic and partisan in a way we don’t expect from formal messaging from agency leaders. If a federal employee emailed colleagues blaming President Trump, they’d face Hatch Act scrutiny and potential termination."

4. OMB’s Vought Accuses Democrats of "Insane Policy Demands"

Russell Vought, head of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), alleged in a memo (posted on X) that the shutdown stemmed from "insane policy demands" by Democrats, without providing specific details.

Contributing Reporting

Leah Feiger contributed reporting.