Blame for government shutdown featured on White River National Forest website, among others

Following the shutdown of the federal government in the early hours of Wednesday, government websites began featuring banners at the top of their websites noting the government’s status and a slowing of updates.

A few websites, however, had different messages. 

The White River National Forest landing page through the U.S. Forest Service, which visitors and locals can use to find resources and updates on their recreation plans in the area, had a large banner at the top on Wednesday attributing blame for the shutdown.

“The Radical Left Democrats shut down the government,” the message read. “This government website will be updated periodically during the funding lapse for mission critical functions. President Trump has made it clear he wants to keep the government open and support those who feed, fuel, and clothe the American people.”

The government was shut down following the Senate’s inability to reach the 60-vote threshold required to pass a continuing resolution that would fund the government.

According to a report by the BBC, Senate Democrats have stated that they will not pass the resolution without a reversal to Trump’s cuts to Medicaid, which provides healthcare to disabled and low-income Americans. They also want to see the extension of tax credits that make health insurance cheaper for some Americans.

Republicans have placed blame on Democrats despite trifecta control of the government: majority control over the House and the Senate, alongside Republican control of the executive branch.

History shows that government shutdowns during a trifecta are rare. They have only happened under one other president aside from Trump: President Jimmy Carter in 1980. Present Trump had government shutdowns during trifecta control of the government in both his first and now second term.

BBC also highlighted in their report that Senate Democrats have placed blame on Republicans for their unwillingness to protect health coverage related benefits in the resolution.

But the White River National Forest webpage — which has updates on fire danger, campsite status, maps, recreation opportunities, and more — has a politicized message placing blame on one political party for visitors to the site. 

The broader U.S. Forest Service website, which houses the White River National Forest page, featured similar political messaging, as did the Housing and Urban Development Page and the United States Department of Agriculture site as of Thursday.  

In national news, some legal experts have suggested that this could be a violation of the Hatch Act, which was passed in 1939 and places limits on the political activities of federal employees during election cycles to ensure that elections are not influenced by the government. 

Douglas Spencer, a professor of law at the University of Colorado who is an expert in election law, noted that the Hatch Act was designed to prevent electioneering, or influencing an election, so the lack of proximity to a major election could make it difficult to be found illegal in court. 

“I think if the Office of Special Counsel found a violation of the Hatch Act, I wouldn’t be surprised because the Hatch Act is specifically intended to address things that are like this,” Spencer said. “I think there’s also a reasonable interpretation that this is meant as a political partisan signal but not necessarily targeting an election. The Hatch Act is really targeting behavior that is trying to affect the outcome of an election.”

To him, this is more likely a violation of the Anti-Lobbying Act, which is similar to the Hatch Act but not tied specifically to elections. 

“It says that the government can’t use appropriated money to lobby the government, there can’t be a circle,” he said. “I think it’s possible that this message on the Forest Service website is signalling to members of the Forest Service to call Democrats and tell them to stop doing whatever they’re doing, but you would have to infer that. We’re in this area of violating the spirit of the law, but technically not the text of the law.”

The White River National Forest comprises 2.3 million acres and encompasses the Maroon Bells scenic area that currently remains open but could close during the shutdown. The Maroon Bells and other attractions on the forest bring thousands of visitors every year to the Roaring Fork Valley. 

Reaching out to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for comment yielded an automated response with a similar tone to the messages found on the U.S. Forest Service and USDA websites. 

“Due to staff furloughs resulting from the Radical Left Democrat shutdown, the typical monitoring of this press inbox may be impacted,” the press office response read. “As you await a response, please remember these delays could have been avoided had Senate Democrats supported the clean Continuing Resolution to fund the government. Thank you for your patience and attention to this matter.” 

Local Forest Service contacts couldn’t be reached for comment, though their out of office messages struck a more neutral tone.

According to a tweet by Meredith Lee Hill, a Politico reporter on Congress, Forest Service employees received an email ahead of the shutdown from Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, which echoed the accusation that blame for the shutdown is solely in the Senate Democrats’ lap. 

“Unfortunately, Senate Democrats are blocking this Continuing Resolution due to unrelated policy demands,” said Rollins’ email, which Hill shared on Twitter. “If Congressional Democrats maintain their current posture and refuse to pass a clean Continuing Resolution before midnight on Sept. 30, 2025, federal appropriated funding will lapse.”

Jon Kelly, chair of the Pitkin County Republicans, said of the messages that “Accountability matters. It’s important that voters know who is responsible for the government shutdown.” 

Dr. Bebe Severe, chair of Pitkin County Democrats, emphasized that blame should not fall on Democrats for this shutdown. 

“We did not shut down the government,” Severe said. “The shutdown was a Republican-made crisis — we stood up for the health care of the American People. The path forward is simple; we would like to see them pass a clean bill to reopen the government.”