Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, is urging acting Special Counsel Jamieson Greer to investigate the White House for its messaging on the government shutdown, which he argues is in violation of federal law.
In a letter to Greer on Thursday, Garcia wrote that the messaging appears to contravene the Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from engaging in political activity.
“Violations of the law must be held accountable,” he wrote.
Senate Democrats continue to hold out for an extension on Affordable Care Act insurance subsidies, with the government shutdown in its second day. But President Donald Trump and White House allies are heaping pressure on the party’s moderate wing to join Republicans’ continuing resolution, threatening mass layoffs and pulling funding from Democratic-leaning states and cities.
Garcia has taken issue with a key element of White House messaging: Banners atop public websites for several agencies — including the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Agriculture — that blame Democrats for the shutdown
“The Radical Left in Congress shut down the government,” reads a message posted to HUD’s website. “HUD will use available resources to help Americans in need.”
Garcia wrote that the alleged violations “fit a pattern of abuse and politicization of Executive Branch agencies, which we will investigate fully.”
On Wednesday, the nonprofit Public Citizen filed complaints against HUD and the Small Business Administration for the messaging.
“The Administration’s statements make it abundantly clear that these messages are intended to circumvent the law, further highlighting the need for an immediate investigation,” Garcia wrote. “Federal agencies work for the American people, not a political party.”
Some ethics experts that spoke to POLITICO on Wednesday said the messaging may not violate the Hatch Act — but could violate a separate law called the Anti-Lobbying Act.
“It’s an objective fact that Democrats are responsible for the government shutdown, the Trump Administration is simply sharing the truth with the American people,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told POLITICO in a statement.
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