WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Kweisi Mfume, Ranking Member of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Government Operations, introduced a Resolution of Inquiry to demand answers regarding the Trump administration's use of partisan messaging displayed on official government websites and included in official government emails. These messages could be a violation of the Hatch Act and federal appropriations law, which are meant to safeguard civil servants from political pressure and ensure that federal programs are administered in a nonpartisan manner.
"The American people expect their government’s official channels to provide neutral, factual information," said Congressman Kweisi Mfume. "These false, partisan messages coming from official federal sources are completely unacceptable and illegal against the backdrop of federal law. In the midst of a nationwide government shutdown, people deserve clarity—not chaos and confusion," Congressman Kweisi Mfume concluded.
“It is despicable that President Trump is using nonpartisan agencies to try to score political points and play the blame game during this shutdown, which has had a devastating impact on federal workers and the essential services they provide,” said National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE) National President Randy Erwin. “It is clear the White House has no regard for the rule of law, as they’ve used federal funds to spam agency websites and communications with inherently partisan political messages in violation of the Hatch Act,” President Erwin concluded.
"The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) strongly supports Congressman Mfume’s Resolution of Inquiry demanding transparency and accountability regarding the Trump Administration’s politicization of nonpartisan federal agencies during the government shutdown," said Everett B. Kelley, National President of AFGE. "The misuse of federal resources to push a partisan agenda not only undermines the integrity of public service, but also represents a blatant violation of the Hatch Act and an affront to the dedicated federal employees who serve this nation with impartiality and professionalism," President Kelley concluded.
"Federal agencies using a government shutdown to advance partisan messages ignores the real world harm shutdowns have on individuals and institutions," said Debra Perlin, Vice President for Policy at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). "CREW is proud to endorse this Resolution of Inquiry, led by Congressman Mfume, so we can understand how and why federal agencies took these actions and ensure this type of conduct does not occur again," Vice President Perlin concluded.
“The Trump White House has coopted taxpayer-funded communications with federal employees and the public during the government shutdown in ways that shockingly politicize government and likely violate the law,” said Jon Golinger, Democracy Advocate with Public Citizen. “This official inquiry by Rep. Mfume is a great start,” Mr. Golinger concluded.
The Resolution of Inquiry (ROI) would demand that the Trump Administration provide all documents, communications, and factual information concerning:
- The Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) request for federal agencies to send language to their employees blaming Congressional Democrats for the government shutdown;
- The decision to post a message on the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) website blaming "the Radical Left in Congress" for the government shutdown;
- The decision to change the "out of office" emails of Department of Education employees to blame Democrats for the government shutdown without their consent;
- Any and all documents or communications between the Office of the President, the Office of the Vice President, the office of Personnel Management, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) on whether any communications regarding the ongoing government shutdown issued from official federal sources constituted a violation of the Hatch Act or federal appropriations law.
The legislation is currently endorsed by Public Citizen, the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW).
Click here to read the full text of the Resolution of Inquiry.
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