Federal Workers Ordered to Send Blame-Democrats Message as Shutdown Looms

Federal employees across multiple agencies were directed to send out identical emails blaming Democrats for the shutdown crisis. The directive, issued by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), left no room for edits or alterations, according to sources and internal communications reviewed by The Handbasket.

By Tuesday evening, at least 16 agencies—including the Departments of State, Health and Human Services, and Interior—had circulated the OMB-drafted message. It claimed President Trump supports a clean funding bill, while accusing Senate Democrats of holding it up with “unrelated policy demands.” It warned that if Democrats didn’t back the measure by the September 30 deadline, a lapse in funding would force furloughs and shutdowns of certain government operations.

The message was first distributed via email at 1:30 p.m. ET, followed by a 3 p.m. call with roughly 300 agency leaders, during which an OMB official emphasized the message’s mandatory and unchangeable wording.

Legal experts and federal employees have raised concerns that the message violates the Hatch Act, which prohibits partisan messaging in official government communication. “In all my years and multiple shutdowns, I’ve never seen anything so blatantly political,” one worker said. “It’s a disgrace.”

Adding to the controversy, the Department of Housing and Urban Development posted similar rhetoric on its website, claiming:

“The Radical Left are going to shut down the government… The Trump administration wants to keep the government open.”

Many civil servants say they feel caught in the middle of political gamesmanship, simply wanting clear guidance—not partisan talking points.