Imagine setting your out-of-office reply to something neutral and polite – “I’ll get back to you once things return to normal” – only to discover later that it has been changed without your consent. And worse, the new version blames one political party for the government shutdown.
That’s exactly what federal workers say is happening now during the October 2025 shutdown. Reports have surfaced that auto-replies have been politicized across multiple agencies, with neutral messages replaced by partisan ones. In some cases, when employees tried to restore their own replies, the political version automatically came back.
What the Messages Said
The neutral version circulated before the shutdown looked like this:
“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.”
Straightforward. Informative. Nonpartisan.
But that message was swapped out for a more pointed one. At the Department of Education, the politicized version read:
“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.”
At the Small Business Administration, the suggested message went even further:
“I am out of office for the foreseeable future because Senate Democrats voted to block a clean federal funding bill (H.R. 5371), leading to a government shutdown … Every day that Senate Democrats continue [to] oppose a clean funding bill … they are stopping … small businesses from accessing … funding.”
Why This Matters
You don’t need to work in government IT to see the problem here. This issue cuts across politics, trust, and technology:
- Trust in official communication
A reply from a “.gov” address carries weight. If citizens can’t trust even an auto-reply to be neutral, faith in public communications erodes. - Employees turned into unwilling messengers
Civil servants are meant to be nonpartisan. Forcing their accounts to broadcast political blame makes them spokespeople against their will. - Centralized control of communication systems
The fact that messages reverted back to the politicized template suggests that system-level tools (like email policy enforcement or admin overrides) were used. That’s a red flag for how technical infrastructure can be politicized.
Potential Violations of Laws and Norms
This incident also raises serious legal and ethical concerns:
- Hatch Act: This law limits federal employees’ involvement in political activity. Using government platforms to promote partisan messaging may cross into prohibited territory.
- Use of taxpayer resources: Government staff time, systems, and communication channels are funded by the public. Using them for political messaging raises questions of appropriateness and legality.
- Damage to public trust: If citizens assume government communication is sanitized or spun, trust in institutions erodes. And once that trust breaks down, it’s hard to rebuild – which is bad for democracy itself.
The Bigger Picture
This isn’t just about out-of-office messages. It’s a warning about how everyday tools we rely on – email systems, websites, even automated alerts – can be politicized when those in control decide to bend the rules.
For the public, the takeaway is clear: be alert to how official messages are framed, ask who’s responsible for the wording, and push for transparency.
For technologists, contractors, and system admins, the lesson is about guardrails. Systems should log changes, notify users when templates are altered, and keep clear audit trails to prevent silent overrides.
Final Thought
When even an out-of-office reply becomes politicized, it’s not a small story about bureaucratic quirks. It’s about trust, neutrality, and the power of those who control our communication systems.
Sometimes the smallest signals – like an email auto-reply – tell us the biggest truths about how systems are being used.
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