'Not my words' | Government workers shocked to find new, politically-charged out of office replies

Employees across several government departments furloughed during the government shutdown say their email accounts were updated with out-of-office messages that blame Senate Democrats for the funding lapse.

The replies stated that House Democrats had blocked a continuing resolution that would have extended funding through November.

“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 on furlough status. I will respond to emails once government functions resume,” the new message read.

A staff member told Federal News Network they had not written the response themselves. “Those were not my words,” the employee said. The department, which has furloughed about 87% of its workforce under its contingency plan, has not publicly addressed the claims.