Federal workers sue Education Department over partisan shutdown emails

""Forcing civil servants to speak on behalf of the political leadership's partisan agenda is a blatant violation of federal employees' First Amendment rights," said the complaint, which was filed by the American Federation of Government Employees in federal district court in Washington, D.C., on Friday."

""Thank you for contacting me. 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, I am currently in furlough status. I will respond to emails once government functions resume.""

"The White House began pointing the finger at Democrats as the government shut down on Oct. 1 after lawmakers failed to reach an agreement to fund operations. Messages posted on agency websites and in emails to federal workers across multiple Cabinet departments blamed congressional Democrats and, in some cases, the "Radical Left" for the shutdown and its impacts."

The American Federation of Government Employees filed a complaint in federal district court in Washington, D.C., alleging that forcing civil servants to convey partisan messages violates their First Amendment rights. The complaint challenges insertion of language into Department of Education employees' out-of-office emails that blamed Democratic senators and the "Radical Left" for a lapse in appropriations during the shutdown. The White House began attributing the shutdown to Democrats after funding negotiations failed on Oct. 1. Many furloughed Department of Education employees reported that a standardized, first-person message about H.R. 5371 replaced their replies without their consent. Legal experts say the messaging may violate federal ethics rules.

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