• Federal Education Department employees' out-of-office emails were altered to blame Democrats for the government shutdown.
• The American Federation of Government Employees filed a lawsuit asserting violations of First Amendment rights.
• Employees reported their emails were changed out of their control during furlough periods.
• The lawsuit claims the alterations violate the Hatch Act by politicizing civil servants.
• Critics say the actions highlight a lack of accountability within the administration.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) has filed a lawsuit against the Education Department for allegedly altering the out-of-office email messages of civil servants to include partisan language that blames Senate Democrats for the government shutdown. According to the suit, the emails were modified without the employees' consent, forcing them to “recite partisan words that they would not have spoken otherwise,” a direct violation of their First Amendment rights, as stated in court documents Reuters and The Hill.

Reports emerged that the automated email responses from Education Department employees, while furloughed, included statements like “Unfortunately, Democrat Senators are blocking passage of H.R. 5371 in the Senate which has led to a lapse in appropriations.” This unusual practice has raised significant ethical concerns, with one employee reportedly stating, “I tried to revert my email to a non-partisan reply but it changed back” to the partisan version India Times, Reuters, and The Hill.

AFGE National President Everett Kelley commented on this matter, asserting, “Now the administration has directly and deliberately violated the First Amendment rights of furloughed workers at the Department of Education by replacing their out-of-office email messages with partisan political language without the employees’ consent.” The lawsuit emphasizes that these altered emails have turned federal employees into "mouthpieces" for a partisan agenda, which some legal experts argue undermines the nonpartisan principles that govern civil service India Times, Reuters, and The Hill.