On Wednesday, the first day of the US government shutdown, employees at the Department of Education (DOE) set their automatic out-of-office email responses to inform recipients that they would be unable to respond until after the shutdown. Hours later, many DOE employees realized their response message had been altered to contain partisan language without their consent. The automatic reply now blamed Senate Democrats for the entire shutdown.
It’s not clear who made the change to email accounts, which was first posted about on Bluesky by journalist Marisa Kabas. “It’s disturbing,” says a DOE employee who asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak to the press. Some employees changed their responses back to the more neutral language, only to have it changed yet again to the partisan response, multiple sources tell WIRED.
As government employees began to log off in preparation for a shutdown, many agencies sent out guidance, including suggested language for their out-of-office message. While some agencies offered employees neutral language, simply explaining they would not be able to reply until the shutdown concluded, employees at the Small Business Administration and, according to sources and screenshots reviewed by WIRED, the Department of Labor, received suggested language that blamed Democrats for the shutdown.
At the DOE, human resources sent employees standard language ahead of the shutdown, and many employees used this as their OOO text. Originally, the suggested language given to DOE employees read, “Thank you for your email. There is a temporary shutdown of the US government due to a lapse in appropriations. I will respond to your message as soon as possible after the temporary shutdown ends. Please visit Ed.gov for the latest information on the Department’s operational status.” Many employees set this neutral language as their OOO status.
The new, changed message reads:
“Thank you for contacting me. On September 19, 2025, the House of Representatives passed HR 5371, a clean continuing resolution. Unfortunately, Democrat Senators are blocking passage of HR 5371 in the Senate which has led to a lapse in appropriations. Due to the lapse in appropriations I am currently in furlough status. I will respond to emails once government functions resume.”
“The Department unilaterally, and without staff knowledge or consent, went in and changed the messages to include partisan language,” claims another DOE employee, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity.
This is particularly problematic, because experts have alleged that the partisan language could be a violation of the Hatch Act, which sets limits to the kinds of political activity government employees can engage in. Violating the Hatch Act, which is not subject to a statute of limitations, could cause a federal employee to face fines or lose their job entirely.
“I’ve never heard of any US government at the federal level or the state or local level requiring employees to use partisan language in their communication with the public,” says Don Moynihan, a professor of public policy at the University of Michigan. “Beyond the legality, this feels incredibly coercive and invasive. We hire these public servants who are supposed to serve everyone.”
In response to a request for comment from WIRED, the Department of Education’s press line returned the same OOO message that was forced on employee’s email responses:
“Thank you for contacting the press team. On September 19, 2025, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5371, a clean continuing resolution. Unfortunately, Democrat Senators are blocking passage of H.R. 5371 in the Senate which has led to a lapse in appropriations. Due to the lapse in appropriations, we are currently in furlough status. We will respond to emails once government functions resume.”
