In Port’s view, the finger-pointing was inappropriate from a federal agency and lacked the context that Republicans, too, could have taken steps to keep the government funded. As a Senate deadlock keeps the federal government unfunded, with no end in sight, some traditionally apolitical federal agencies are using their official channels to spread a coordinated political message: It’s the Democrats’ fault. Employee out-of-office messages are changedAt the Department of Education, out-of-office email messages were reset Wednesday with language blaming Democrats for the shutdown. Ethics watchdogs said the political messages from government agency websites and emails exceed the level of partisanship they have seen in the past from the civil service. Multiple experts said the messages also violate a 1939 law called the Hatch Act, which restricts certain political activities by federal employees.