By Simon Lewis, Daphne Psaledakis and Humeyra Pamuk
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The top U.S. State Department official for management blamed Democrats for the looming government shutdown in an unusually partisan message to staff on Tuesday, according to a copy of the message seen by Reuters.
As the federal government prepares to shut down if a temporary funding deal is not reached by midnight on Tuesday, Under Secretary of State for Management Jason Evans wrote that President Donald Trump opposes a shutdown and supports a proposed resolution to fund the government temporarily.
“Unfortunately, Democrats are blocking this Continuing Resolution in the U.S. Senate due to unrelated policy demands. If Congressional Democrats maintain their current posture … federal appropriated funding will lapse.”
A lapse would mean some government activities would cease and some State employees would be furloughed, he said in the message, which included other information on a shutdown’s potential impact on the department.
A similar email sent ahead of a potential shutdown in December 2024 noted that the then Biden administration was working with Congress to avoid a shutdown, but did not assign blame for the failure to reach agreement.
Two people familiar with the matter said similar emails to State Department staff in the past were more neutral and avoided taking partisan positions.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The majority of State’s staff are career diplomats who are barred from engaging in partisan activity, but the department is led by political appointees, like Evans.
Evans was nominated by Trump in May to the role overseeing the allocation and use of the department’s resources, including personnel.
(Reporting by Simon Lewis, Daphne Psaledakis and Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
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