After the government shutdown began Wednesday morning, furloughed employees at an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services were told to set an out-of-office message in their email accounts blaming Democrats for the situation, according to an email obtained by HuffPost.
It appears to be one of several instances where Trump appointees are using government resources to attack Democrats and promote a political message during the funding standoff in Washington.
The email came from leaders of HHS’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration, or ASA, which oversees human resources and information technology at the sprawling health agency. It told recipients that creating an out-of-office message was “required” for those who wouldn’t be working during the shutdown.
“Please use the following language,” the directions stated. “Thank you for contacting me. On September 19, 2025, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5371, a clean continuing resolution. Unfortunately, Democratic senators are blocking its passage in the Senate, which has led to a lapse in appropriations.
“Due to this lapse, I am currently in furlough status and unable to respond to emails. I will reply once government operations resume.”
Ethics experts have raised concerns this week about all the political messaging coming from agency leaders regarding the shutdown. The Department of Housing and Urban Development posted a public note on its website attacking the “radical left” for the funding lapse, while several agencies blasted out emails to employees criticizing congressional Democrats as they warned of furloughs.
“I take that email from ASA as coercing subordinates to engage in political activity,” said one HHS employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.
Reached for comment, a spokesperson for HHS, which is led by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., did not say whether other employees at the agency received the out-of-office directions, or just those within ASA.
“The reality is that the Trump Administration wants to keep the government open so HHS and all of its components can fully safeguard the public’s health and well-being,” the spokesperson, Andrew Nixon, said in a statement. “By contrast, Congressional Democrats continue to block measures that would keep the government funded and guarantee care to millions of Americans.”
The ethics law known as the Hatch Act restricts political activity by federal employees so that the workforce is free from partisan influence. Executive branch employees are also required to follow ethics guidelines that include acting “impartially” in the course of their duties.
According to HHS’s website, the ASA is currently headed by Shana Weir, an attorney who helped President Donald Trump try to overturn his 2020 election loss to former President Joe Biden. Weir pushed baseless claims of widespread “criminal voter fraud” and sought to have the results overturned in the swing state of Nevada, which Biden won by more than 33,000 votes.
Politico reported that Weir had “little apparent government or health policy experience” when Trump installed her at HHS shortly after his inauguration.
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