Sarah Newman, a longtime Education Department worker, is comforted after clearing out her office in the agency's headquarters in Washington, D.C., on March 28, 2025.

WASHINGTON – On the first day of the government shutdown, official email accounts at the U.S. Department of Education began sending out-of-office messages pointing fingers at Democrats for the funding crisis.

"Thank you for contacting me," said one message. "On September 19, 2025, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5371, a clean continuing resolution. Unfortunately, Democrat Senators are blocking passage of H.R. 5371 in the Senate which has led to a lapse in appropriations."

The automatic response is the latest example of the Trump administration using the formal levers of government in new, controversial ways to pressure Democrats to end the shutdown. Other federal agencies have crafted similarly partisan messages from the typically apolitical civil service amid a legislative standoff largely over disagreements related to health care cuts.

Two furloughed employees told USA TODAY they were deeply frustrated to see the outgoing message on their email accounts. They felt it likely violated the Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from certain political activities.

Spokespeople for the agency have also been furloughed and could not be reached for comment.

Sheria Smith, the president of the labor union representing Education Department workers, said the email prompted widespread aggravation among her members. They're already experiencing "occupational whiplash," she said, amid President Donald Trump's campaign to dismantle their agency.

Though she herself has been on paid administrative leave since March, Smith's out-of-office email was changed, too. Except her job departure has "nothing to do with Senate Democrats," she said.

"It has everything to do with the fact that this administration put me and almost half my colleagues on paid admin leave to conduct an illegal reduction-in-force," she said.

The Education Department has already spent months reeling from deep Trump administration cuts. The agency slashed its staff in half earlier this year through layoffs, buyouts, retirements and other departures. Lawsuits followed the firings, which the Supreme Court largely allowed to remain in place while the courts debate their legality.

After lawmakers in Congress failed to reach a deal on Sept. 30 to keep the federal government's lights on, the Education Department took roughly 2,117 employees off the job this week. Only about 330 staffers were slated to stay on during the shutdown, according to the agency's contingency plan.

Political messages about the shutdown were also produced by other federal agencies. The Department of Housing and Urban Development website currently states: “The Radical Left in Congress shut down the government. HUD will use available resources to help Americans in need.”

"I’ve heard all the cries and the outcry and people saying this is propaganda, that it’s a violation of the Hatch Act," Housing Secretary Scott Turner said, calling the criticism an effort by "Democrats and the far left" to distract from their "irresponsible actions."

Contributing: Zac Anderson, USA TODAY

Zachary Schermele is a congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Out-of-office emails at Education Department blame Democrats for shutdown

Reporting by Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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