Democrats seek investigation into agency messages blaming Democrats for the shutdown [View all]

Source: NBC News

Nov. 10, 2025, 5:00 AM EST


WASHINGTON — A group of Senate Democrats is pushing for an investigation into the Trump administration’s use of federal agency websites and emails to post partisan messages blaming Democrats for the government shutdown.

In a letter obtained by NBC News, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and other Democrats ask the Government Accountability Office to open a probe into whether the political messages violated federal appropriations laws.

The lawmakers point specifically to a rule that prohibits the executive branch from using funds for “purely partisan” purposes. They are asking for more information from the GAO to see if several agencies violated laws that pertain to ethics and partisan political activity.


Text shown on the USDA's website.USDA

As NBC News previously reported, multiple agencies have posted messages on their official federal websites blaming Democrats and the “radical left” for the shutdown. Some also encouraged employees to post similar messages in their out-of-office replies. And five employees of the Department of Education told NBC News that their automatic email replies were changed to partisan messages without their consent.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/democrats-push-investigation-trump-messages-blaming-democrats-shutdown-rcna242591