The Trump administration is blaming Democrats for the government shutdown in internal federal agency communications as well as public agency websites, in what experts say could be a violation of federal ethics laws.
A bright red banner and pop-up message first appeared Tuesday on the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s website. It was updated early Wednesday morning and warns: “The Radical Left in Congress shut down the government. HUD will use available resources to help Americans in need.”
Wednesday morning, a banner added to the top of Department of Justice websites reads “Democrats have shut down the government” with a link to its shutdown plans.
Wild to see official agency websites being used to point fingers at one political side during a shutdown. The Hatch Act exists for exactly this reasonto keep taxpayer resources from becoming campaign billboards. No matter which party’s in charge, bending those rules erodes public trust.
Will anyone be punished for Hatch Act violations? Particularly since those prosecutions will be made by the same administration that is violating it? No? Then it is useless.
Yeah, that’s the problem. The Hatch Act sounds good on paper, but without independent enforcement it’s basically toothless. At best you get a slap on the wrist or a report no one reads. Maybe it needs real penalties handled outside the administration in power
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The VA sent out something similar via email:
President Trump opposes a lapse in appropriations, and on September 19, the House of Representatives passed, with the Trump Administration’s support, a clean continuing resolution to fund the government through November 21. Unfortunately, Democrats are blocking this Continuing Resolution in the U.S. Senate due to unrelated policy demands.
