"To put that more simply, the Hatch Act prohibits campaigning on the people's time. The law exempts the president and vice president from this restriction (which makes sense, as nearly everything the president says is some form of politicking), but the employees of the federal government, including the political appointees, are supposed to at least try to look like they're governing instead of pushing partisan propaganda."
"It should come as no surprise that the Trump administration repeatedly and flagrantly violated the Hatch Act during its first term in office. It should also come as no surprise that the administration refused to enforce the act when it came to its own people. When he took the helm of the DOJ, Attorney General Merrick Garland could have prosecuted Hatch Act violations from the previous administration, but that would have looked too much like doing something, to ol' Merrick the Meek."
"Freed from the specter of consequence or accountability, the Trump administration 2.0 has paid less attention to the Hatch Act than a NASCAR driver pays to the speed limit. Entire government websites have been turned into Republican state propaganda. And the shutdown has only made things worse. This week, the Department of Agriculture, which oversees the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), squarely blamed the Democrats for the impending cancellation of food assistance."
The Hatch Act of 1939 bars executive-branch employees from engaging in partisan political activities while performing official duties, exempting only the president and vice president. The Trump administration repeatedly violated the Hatch Act during its first term and declined to enforce the law against its own staff. The Department of Justice under Merrick Garland declined to prosecute prior violations. The Trump administration 2.0 has escalated the misuse of government communication, turning websites into Republican propaganda and ignoring norms. The Department of Agriculture blamed Democrats for an impending SNAP cancellation despite prior Trump plans to sharply reduce SNAP benefits.
Read at The Nation
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