White House’s Partisan Government Shutdown Messaging Features Veterans’ Organizations

At the start of the government shutdown, the White House and several federal agencies quietly added identical banners across their websites blaming Democrats for the lapse in funding and ceasing of operations in Washington D.C.

At the end of the government fiscal year on Oct. 1, Republicans and Democrats couldn’t agree to pass a funding bill which led to the shutdown currently on day 23. This is the second-longest shutdown in history, trailing the 35-day closure from December 2018 to January 2019 during the first Trump administration. Lawmakers have continually failed to advance bills to end the shutdown.

On the White House website, on the “Democrats have shut down the government,” section, there is a section titled “Americans Don’t Agree with Democrats’ Actions.” The White House listed nine veteran organizations, implying their agreement with the administration’s stance.

“Active-duty service members and Veterans have borne the brunt of Democrats’ shutdown, which prioritizes health care for illegal immigrants at the expense of military families across the country,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told Military.com.

“These veterans organizations are speaking the truth: Democrats have complained about paying military service members and referred to struggling Americans as ‘leverage,’ but President Trump and Republicans want to reopen the government today to ensure that military men and women don’t have to worry about receiving their next paycheck,” Kelly continued.

The messaging from the Trump administration is different from what some military-related organizations are posting online.

‘No Political Games’

Beneath the Vietnam Veterans of America tab, for example, President Tom Burke commented a longer message under the premise to “put partisanship aside.”

In the beginning, he added: “Tell your Senators to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown. Add no unrelated riders. Include no political games. Just keep the government operating at its current levels so that veterans and their families do not become collateral damage.”

When government agencies initially posted partisan languages on their sites, organizations like Public Citizen filed complaints. The nonprofit group, which advocates for the public interest, deemed these actions as violations of the Hatch Act by including partisan politics into federal agencies' websites.

The Hatch Act bars political activities of federal employees and programs with the goal to protect from political pressure and bias. There have been no updates on the complaints filed by Public Citizen at time of publishing.

Mixed Views

In an effort to understand how the listed groups perceived their inclusion, several veterans’ organizations were contacted by Military.com for comment to understand their position on the messaging and their viewpoint on the effects as the shutdown entered its third week.

Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) spokesperson Sarah Smothers told Military.com that CVA stands by the statement listed under the “Americans don’t agree with Democrats’ actions,” adding, “We hope that the Senate will agree to pass a clean resolution on the next vote, on behalf of all Americans.”

CVA works to elevate veterans’ voices to “drive liberty-based solutions and advance freedom,” according to their website. 

“Veterans, especially those with service-connected disabilities, the elderly, or experiencing homelessness, are now at risk,” CVA said in their official statement.

“CVA urges Senate Democrats to end this shutdown and to work with The House of Representatives to take shutdowns off the table. Government shutdowns don’t solve problems ― they make them worse. We’re calling on all lawmakers to do the right thing, for veterans and for America,” the statement continued. 

Veteran Action “advocates for America First policies that strengthen national security and provide unwavering support for our veterans,” according to its website. 

In its statement on the White House website, Veteran Action committed to a partisan stance. Founder and President Mark Lucas said that “Democrats are holding military families and veterans hostage over partisan politics.” 

“Democrats are prioritizing illegal immigrants over our military servicemembers and their families. This is a Democrat shutdown,” Lucas told Military.com. “President [Donald] Trump and Secretary [Pete] Hegseth were able to pay our troops in the face of a blatant, partisan shut down led by [Senate Minority Leader] Chuck Schumer.”

Veterans Guardian did not comment on their perceived inclusion to the language on the White House website. Veterans Guardian is a pre-filing consulting firm to assist veterans with their disability ratings.

“This is not a partisan issue. Anything preventing veterans from accessing critical care and benefits is unacceptable,” a spokesperson said.

They downplayed the politics at play and have urged for a swift resolution.

“The government shutdown is putting veterans at risk. Delays in care, benefits and critical programs are unacceptable. Veterans Guardian urges the Senate to restore operations now and protect those who’ve already sacrificed for our country,” they said.

Other organizations listed on the White House website and without comment include the Blinded Veterans Association, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America and Veterans of Foreign Wars.

While not all veterans organizations explicitly blamed Democrats for the shutdown or if they deemed the White House’s posting a Hatch Act violation, their responses underscored how veterans’ groups continue to navigate the political crosscurrents of a prolonged shutdown.