Federal workers sue Education Department over partisan shutdown emails : NPR

The Federal Trade Union of Workers suits the Trump administration for the introduction of a language in e -mail, which are not an office, accuses the democrats of Closing the governmentField

“The statement of civil servants to act on behalf of the partisan agenda of the political leadership is an egregious violation of rights to the first correction of federal employees,” said complaintwhich was filed by the American Federation of civil servants in the Federal District Court in Washington, the District of Colombia, on Friday.

The lawsuit is the first to dispute the administration Unusual use of partisan messages In government communications during the closure, which, according to legal experts, NPR may violate federal ethics laws.

The White House began to point a finger at the Democrats when the government closed on October 1 after the legislators failed to reach an agreement for financing operations. Messages posted on the web sites of the agency and in emails for federal workers in several departments of the Cabinet of Ministers were accused of the Democrats of Congress, and in some cases “radical left” for closing and its impact. (Republicans control both chambers of the Congress, but need democratic support in the Senate to approve any agreement on state financing.)

MANY DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYEES WHO WERLUGHEGHED DUE to the Shutdown Were Surprise to See the Following Message Insaeir Out-Out -Office Replies: “Think You for Contacting Me. On September 19, 2025, The House of Representates Passed HR 5371, A Clean Continuing Resolution. UnFortunateli, Democrat Senators Are Blocking Passage of HR 5371 in the SENATE Which Has Led to a Lapse in Appropriations.

Several employees told NPR that, although the message was written in the first person and sent from their email, they did not write it, and they did not tell them that it would replace any message that they initially set up.

The language also differed from the model language, which the Department provided employees, as they were preparing to turn off, according to the claim. The lawsuit states that some employees who tried to change their messages outside the office in order to remove the partisan language found that they were changed.

The lawsuit claims that messages violate the first amendment, which prohibits the government with convincing speech. This is called the Department of Education and Secretary Linda Mcamahon as accused.

“Without notifying its employees, not to mention to get their consent, the Ministry of Education replaced the e-mail posts outside the office in partisan, which accuses the“ democrats senators ”of closing,” the complaint says. “Employees are now forced to involuntarily parrot for colloquial glasses of the Trump administration with emails sent in their names.”

In response to a NPR request for commenting on the trial, the Education Publishing House team responded with the same automated message outside the office. In the statement of about NBC News On Thursday, before the lawsuit was filed, Madi Bidermann, deputy assistant secretary for communications, said: “In an electronic letter, he recalls those who turn to employees of the Ministry of Education, which we cannot answer, because the Senate Democrats refuse to vote for pure CR and finance the government. Where is the lie? “

Government ethics experts said that the inclusion of obvious political messages in the communication of the Federal Agency may violate Hatch actWhich limits political activity by civil servants in the executive branch.

“Hatch law prohibits participating in political activity during official potential, including communication that contains protection against the political party,” said Michael Fallings, a partner from Tully Rinka, a law firm for employment. “Here, although the reference to only the democrats is probably not a violation, the clear accusation of the Democratic Party of closing and“ link to radical left -wing ”may be a violation.”

On Thursday, a member of the House of Representatives Robert Garcia from California, the ranking of a democrat in the Committee of the House of Representatives for Supervision and State Reform, He asked The Office of a special lawyer of the United States, an independent Federal Agency, which ensures the observance of the Luke law in order to investigate the use of the Trump administration of the website of agencies and official letters of the government, “to promote the false partisan political agenda.” (The management of a special lawyer is headed by the acting director since President Trump dismissed his leader confirmed in the Senate Until the end of its termThe agency is closed during the shutdown, according to its web site.)

In recent days, more than two dozen current and former federal workers have contacted NPR to express concern about the politicized language that they see from agencies and officials.

“As a professional civil servant and a person, I believe that the rhetoric is shocking, offensive and sharp,” said one federal worker who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation by the Trump administration for the public.

Six people shared the screenshots of the weekly news newsletter, which the Department of Veterans sends to “veterans, their families, persons who carry out care and survivors.” Under the name “as the closure of the government,” on October 1, the newsletter says: “President Trump is opposed to missing in the allocations, and on September 19 the House of Representatives made, with the support of the Trump administration, a pure permanent decision on financing the government until November 21. Unfortunately, democrats block this constant decision in the US Senate from the non -controlled requirements of the policy. ” This continued to list the services of VA, which will be affected.

“I think that the politicization of the VA information ballot, which is intended only to inform us of our advantages,” said NPR, a veteran who received a newsletter and asked for anonymity because they feared repression by the government.

“The message was 100% actual, and even the fixed assets and reporters say the same thing,” said the press secretary of VA Pete Kasperovich in his statement in response to the questions of the NPR about the information ballot and about the problems that the veterans expressed politicization.

Kory Turner from NPR made a message.