‘Blatant Partisan Hackery’: Fed Websites, More Evidence That Trump Desperate to Deflect Shutdown Blame
Administration’s moves to point fingers at Democrats called illegal
With public opinion against them on the federal government shutdown, Donald Trump and top officials in his administration have taken extraordinary steps to try to shift blame on the lapse in funding.
Just days into the shutdown that began at midnight on Wednesday, the American people generally say that it’s Trump’s fault.
But federal agencies have taken unprecedented action to point partisan fingers at Democrats.
The government shut down this week because Democrats and Republicans could not agree on levels of funding for federal agencies. In particular, Democrats are holding out for Republicans to agree to repeal cuts to subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that are set to as much as double the healthcare premiums millions of Americans pay.
Most immediately, a poll published by The Washington Post (paywall) found significantly more Americans blame Trump and Republicans for the shutdown.
Some 47 percent of respondents blame Trump and Republicans in Congress for the government shutdown. Just 30 percent blame Democrats.
Importantly, among political independents, 50 percent blame Trump and Republicans for the shutdown and 80 percent support extending health insurance subsidies. And 55 percent want Democrats in Congress to demand the extension of insurance subsidies even if it extends the shutdown.
Amidst that blame, several federal agencies — including the departments of Agriculture, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development all have prominent messages or pop-ups on their websites that blame Democrats or “the radical left,” by name.
Never before in modern US history has a presidential administration been so partisan in the midst of a federal shutdown.
Also, furloughed federal employees — who by law are supposed to be nonpartisan —have been surprised to find their email was automatically changed to blame Democrats for the shutdown.
That includes employees at the Education Department.
Katie Phang, an attorney and independent journalist who used to be a host on the MSNBC cable network, said such actions clearly are illegal.
“Republicans are lying about who’s to blame for this shutdown so they’ve resorted to blatant partisan hackery on official agency websites,” she posted on social media. “These violations of the Hatch Act are Exhibit A of the Republicans’ desperation to divert from the truth: the GOP owns this shutdown.”
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