WASHINGTON, D.C. — Following the government shutdown that went into effect at 12 a.m. ET, government websites, including the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Department of Justice, and many more, currently feature partisan banner messages blaming the Democratic Party for the shutdown.
On the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development website, the message reads: "The Radical Left in Congress shut down the government. HUD will use available resources to help Americans in need."
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The U.S. Forest Service website has a similar message posted that reads: "The Radical Left Democrats shut down the government. This government website will be updated periodically during the funding lapse for mission critical functions. President Trump has made it clear he wants to keep the government open and support those who feed, fuel, and clothe the American people."
You can see the partisan messages to some of the websites below:
A legal complaint has since been filed with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel by Public Citizen, a non-profit consumer advocacy group, which claims the messages are in clear violation of the Hatch Act.
According to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, the Hatch Act "limits certain political activities of federal employees, as well as some state, D.C., and local government employees who work in connection with federally funded programs. The law’s purposes are to ensure that federal programs are administered in a nonpartisan fashion, to protect federal employees from political coercion in the workplace, and to ensure that federal employees are advanced based on merit and not based on political affiliation."
Other websites included non-partisan messages regarding the shutdown.
You can see the non-partisan messages to some of the websites below:
Idaho News 6 has reached out to local lawmakers regarding the messages and are waiting to hear back.
This is a developing story.
