00:00Furloughed federal workers reportedly say the Trump administration is forcing political messages into their out-of-office email message during the government shutdown.
00:11Some say they were ordered to blame Democrats for the shutdown in the messages, while others say the administration altered the emails.
00:19The reports come as messages on federal websites accuse the radical left of causing the shutdown.
00:25One email from the Department of Labor obtained by ABC News reads,
00:29Unfortunately, Democrat senators are blocking passage of H.R. 5371 in the Senate, which has led to a lapse in appropriations.
00:38I am currently on furlough status. I will respond to emails once government functions resume.
00:43The Office of Budget Management reportedly provided a similar template for employees to create for out-of-office replies.
00:51The instructions didn't apply to all employees, according to ABC.
00:55But a number of furloughed workers from the Department of Education told multiple outlets their automatic replies were changed to blame Democrats for the shutdown without their consent or prior knowledge.
01:07Some legal analysts question whether the partisan messages violate the Hatch Act, which restricts certain political activity among government workers.
01:16Critics also argue the partisan messages come at a time when tensions are already high among liberals and conservatives.
01:24CBS News reports that a legal complaint has already been filed, claiming such practices do, in fact, violate the law.
01:31The Trump administration has defended its approach, calling it, quote,
01:34an objective fact that Democrats are responsible for the government shutdown.
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