Furloughed employees at the Education Department have recently noticed changes to their out-of-office email messages that attribute the ongoing government shutdown to Senate Democrats’ failure to support a critical spending bill. The automatic replies have been updated to indicate that the employee is currently on furlough due to a lapse in appropriations resulting from Democrats blocking a clean continuing resolution, known as H.R. 5371, passed by the House of Representatives on September 19, 2025.
An employee from the Education Department, who wishes to remain anonymous, expressed dissatisfaction with the situation, stating, “Those were not my words.” The department has implemented significant furloughs, with reports indicating that approximately 87% of its workforce is currently not working, with only a select few remaining on the job without pay, largely within the Office of Federal Student Aid.
This tactic of using official platforms to assign blame appears to align with other communications from the Trump administration during the shutdown. On Tuesday, various federal agencies circulated messages asserting President Trump’s opposition to a government shutdown while placing the blame on Congressional Democrats for blocking funding, thus risking the lapse in appropriations.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Agriculture Department have also echoed similar sentiments, warning that a government shutdown, attributed to the “Radical Left,” would harm American citizens. HUD’s website accused Democrats of endangering government operations unless they acquiesced to a comprehensive $1.5 trillion demands package. Meanwhile, the Agriculture Department’s website displayed a banner explaining that updates would cease during the funding interruption.
These official communications underscore the ongoing contention surrounding budget negotiations and the government shutdown, highlighting the need for bipartisan cooperation to ensure the continuity of government services. The current furlough situation has left many federal employees in a precarious position, emphasizing the importance of reaching a resolution to this impasse.