Story perspectives
Furloughed Employees Blame Senators Amid Controversial Shutdown
10/3/2025
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Story summary
- Furloughed employees at U.S. Department of Education report out-of-office emails blaming Democratic senators for the shutdown.
- They call changes coercive and a rights violation, fearing reputational harm.
- Health and Human Services and agencies directed staff to use partisan language.
- Legal experts say the actions may violate the Hatch Act.
- Democracy Forward plans to sue the Trump administration over these changes.
