{"id":51475,"date":"2025-10-24T14:24:26","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T18:24:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/?post_type=article&p=51475"},"modified":"2025-10-24T14:24:26","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T18:24:26","slug":"heres-why-common-cause-filed-57-complaints-against-the-trump-administration-for-violating-federal-ethics-laws","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/es\/articles\/heres-why-common-cause-filed-57-complaints-against-the-trump-administration-for-violating-federal-ethics-laws\/","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s Why Common Cause Filed 57 Complaints Against the Trump Administration for Violating Federal Ethics Laws"},"template":"","class_list":["post-51475","article","type-article","status-publish","hentry","article_type-blog-post"],"acf":{"details":{"summary":"When the Trump Administration started using government platforms to blame Democrats for the shutdown, we jumped into action.","featured_image":"","article_type":1103,"authors":"","related_issues":[2082],"related_work":false,"location":null},"sidebar":{"helper_enable_sidebar":false,"helper_media_contact":{"heading":"Media Contact","manually_enter_person":false,"person":"","name":"","role":"","phone":"","email":""},"helper_links_downloads":{"heading":"Links & Downloads","links":null}},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_wysiwyg":{"content":"For decades, our country has had laws like the <\/span>Hatch Act<\/b>, el <\/span>Anti-Deficiency Act<\/b>, y el <\/span>Anti-Lobbying Act<\/b> to make sure that the federal government works for the American people, not for one political party. These laws were designed precisely to safeguard against the partisan use of public resources.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nSo when the <\/span>Trump Administration started using government platforms to blame Democrats for the shutdown<\/span><\/a>, we jumped into action. Common Cause found dozens of examples of hyper-partisan political messaging coming from the Trump Administration, leading us to<\/span> file 57 separate complaints<\/b> with federal oversight agencies (you can read more about these complaints <\/span>aqu\u00ed<\/span><\/a> y <\/span>aqu\u00ed<\/span><\/a>). The complaints document widespread violations of these key ethics laws and point to a larger problem: the federal system meant to hold officials accountable is <\/span>broken<\/b>.<\/span>\r\n

What are these laws, and why do they matter?<\/span><\/h3>\r\n

The Hatch Act<\/span><\/h4>\r\nPassed in 1939, the Hatch Act <\/span>limits political activities by federal employees when they are acting in their official roles<\/b><\/a>. It makes it so that government officials cannot use taxpayer-funded resources to benefit a particular political party or candidate while on the job.<\/span>\r\n\r\nIts goal is to keep federal programs and agencies nonpartisan, protect employees from political pressure in the workplace, and ensure that promotions and assignments are based on merit, not politics.<\/span>\r\n

The Anti-Deficiency Act<\/span><\/h4>\r\nThis law protects <\/span>Congress\u2019s \u201cpower of the purse,\u201d <\/b>which refers to Congress\u2019s exclusive right to decide how federal money is spent. <\/span>\u00c9l <\/span>prevents agencies from spending money they don\u2019t have or from using government resources for things that Congress hasn\u2019t approved.<\/b><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n

The Anti-Lobbying Act<\/span><\/h4>\r\nEmployees in the Executive Branch can hold significant power to shape how laws are made. The Anti-Lobbying Act makes sure that power isn\u2019t abused. <\/span>It restricts federal officials from using taxpayer money or their government position to lobby for or against laws or to urge the public to pressure Congress.<\/b><\/a>\r\n\r\nIn short, government officials can\u2019t use public funds or official platforms to push for or against specific laws or policies.<\/span>\r\n

The Trump Administration Has Pushed Partisan Propaganda through Public Platforms Dozens of Times<\/span><\/h3>\r\nCommon Cause\u2019s audit uncovered numerous instances of these ethical standards being violated during this government shutdown:<\/span>\r\n

The CDC\u2019s Taxpayer-Funded Website Broadcasts Anti-Democrat Messaging<\/span><\/h4>\r\nAfter the government shutdown took effect, the Center for Disease Control shared this message at the top of their website: <\/span>\r\n
\u201cThe Trump Administration is working to reopen the government for the American\u00a0<\/span>people. Mission-critical activities of CDC will continue during the Democrat-led\u00a0<\/span>government shutdown.\u201d<\/span><\/blockquote>\r\nInstead of providing neutral, factual updates, <\/span>the CDC used its taxpayer-funded website<\/b> to blame Democrats and credit the Trump Administration. The CDC website should be about public health, not a platform for political propaganda.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n

Kristi Noem\u2019s DHS Sent Agency-Wide Email Blaming Shutdown on Democrats<\/span><\/h4>\r\nHomeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem sent agency-wide emails blaming Congressional Democrats for the shutdown and praising the president\u2019s policy stance, including referring to a <\/span>\u201clapse in appropriations forced by Congressional Democrats.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThese messages were sent using official DHS systems, <\/span>in apparent violation of the Hatch Act\u2019s ban on partisan political activity using taxpayer-funded tools.<\/b>\r\n

The DOJ Shared Anti-Democrat Messaging On Its Taxpayer-Funded Website<\/span><\/h4>\r\nUnder Attorney General Pamela Bondi, the Department of Justice homepage displayed a partisan message reading:<\/span>\r\n
\u201cDemocrats have shut down the government.\u201d<\/span><\/blockquote>\r\nThe DOJ used an official, taxpayer-funded website<\/b> to echo GOP talking points and attack one political party, undermining decades of norms and precedent.<\/span>\r\n\r\nThese examples are only a few of the <\/span>57 formal complaints<\/b> Common Cause filed with the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), and various Inspectors General.<\/span>"}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_pull_quote","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_pull_quote":{"quote":"President Trump and his administration have proven time after time that they care more about a one-party agenda than working people. Seeing partisan campaign messages on federal government websites is below the dignity of the presidency and a reflection of how far his administration will go to achieve its one-party agenda.","attribution":"Virginia Kase Solom\u00f3n, president and CEO of Common Cause"}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_wysiwyg":{"content":"

A System That Can\u2019t Properly Fight Back Against Ethics Violations<\/span><\/h3>\r\nFederal ethics laws exist to make sure that government officials use their power responsibly and fairly. As we are seeing in real time, when those in power treat government communication tools, websites, and funds as campaign assets, it threatens our democracy.<\/span>\r\n\r\nUnfortunately, the current federal oversight system is unequipped to meet the moment. The Trump Administration\u2019s actions have exposed just how easy it is for an administration to sidestep accountability.<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe Government Accountability Office, Inspectors General, and the Office of Special Counsel are supposed to enforce these laws. But their strength and independence have been severely weakened.<\/span>\r\n\r\nThis year, <\/span>Trump has fired or demoted more than 20 Inspectors General<\/b><\/a>, <\/span>as well as the former head of the Office of Special Counsel, Hampton Dellinger<\/span><\/a>. These attacks have created a chilling effect, making watchdogs afraid to challenge wrongdoing for fear of losing their jobs.<\/span>\r\n\r\nAnd at a practical level, filing 57 separate complaints is an absurd amount of paperwork. It shows our nation\u2019s systems aren\u2019t designed to account for this level coordinated, systemic abuse of public office and resources.<\/span>\r\n

Common Cause Is Calling For a Comprehensive Overhaul of the Federal Ethics System<\/span><\/h3>\r\nCommon Cause supports stronger protections for the GAO, Inspectors General, and the Office of Special Counsel. But small, piecemeal reforms will not be enough.<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe Trump Administration\u2019s conduct has revealed deep flaws in how the federal government polices itself.<\/span>\r\n\r\nEs por eso <\/span>Common Cause is calling for a comprehensive overhaul<\/b> of the ethics enforcement system, including the creation of a <\/span>single, robust, and independent watchdog agency<\/b> with the power to oversee the entire executive branch.<\/span>"}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_add_component","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_add_component":null},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_work","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_work":{"heading":"Work","manually_curate":false,"work":null}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_related_articles","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_related_articles":{"heading":"Updates","button_text":"See all Related Articles","manually_curate":false,"articles":null}}]},"yoast_head":"\nWhy We Filed 57 Ethics Complaints Against the Trump Administration - Common Cause<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When the Trump Administration started using government platforms to blame Democrats for the shutdown, we jumped into action.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/es\/articulos-2\/heres-why-common-cause-filed-57-complaints-against-the-trump-administration-for-violating-federal-ethics-laws\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_MX\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Here\u2019s Why Common Cause Filed 57 Complaints Against the Trump Administration for Violating Federal Ethics Laws\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When the Trump Administration started using government platforms to blame Democrats for the shutdown, we jumped into action.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/es\/articulos-2\/heres-why-common-cause-filed-57-complaints-against-the-trump-administration-for-violating-federal-ethics-laws\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Common Cause\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CommonCause\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/CC-Share-Graphic-Main9.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@CommonCause\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/articles\/heres-why-common-cause-filed-57-complaints-against-the-trump-administration-for-violating-federal-ethics-laws\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/articles\/heres-why-common-cause-filed-57-complaints-against-the-trump-administration-for-violating-federal-ethics-laws\/\",\"name\":\"Why We Filed 57 Ethics Complaints Against the Trump Administration - Common Cause\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-24T18:24:26+00:00\",\"description\":\"When the Trump Administration started using government platforms to blame Democrats for the shutdown, we jumped into action.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/articles\/heres-why-common-cause-filed-57-complaints-against-the-trump-administration-for-violating-federal-ethics-laws\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/articles\/heres-why-common-cause-filed-57-complaints-against-the-trump-administration-for-violating-federal-ethics-laws\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/articles\/heres-why-common-cause-filed-57-complaints-against-the-trump-administration-for-violating-federal-ethics-laws\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Here\u2019s Why Common Cause Filed 57 Complaints Against the Trump Administration for Violating Federal Ethics Laws\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/\",\"name\":\"Common Cause\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"es\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Common Cause\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Common-Cause-Logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Common-Cause-Logo.png\",\"width\":2066,\"height\":331,\"caption\":\"Common Cause\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CommonCause\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/CommonCause\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/ourcommoncause\/\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why We Filed 57 Ethics Complaints Against the Trump Administration - Common Cause","description":"When the Trump Administration started using government platforms to blame Democrats for the shutdown, we jumped into action.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/es\/articulos-2\/heres-why-common-cause-filed-57-complaints-against-the-trump-administration-for-violating-federal-ethics-laws\/","og_locale":"es_MX","og_type":"article","og_title":"Here\u2019s Why Common Cause Filed 57 Complaints Against the Trump Administration for Violating Federal Ethics Laws","og_description":"When the Trump Administration started using government platforms to blame Democrats for the shutdown, we jumped into action.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/es\/articulos-2\/heres-why-common-cause-filed-57-complaints-against-the-trump-administration-for-violating-federal-ethics-laws\/","og_site_name":"Common Cause","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CommonCause","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/CC-Share-Graphic-Main9.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@CommonCause","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/articles\/heres-why-common-cause-filed-57-complaints-against-the-trump-administration-for-violating-federal-ethics-laws\/","url":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/articles\/heres-why-common-cause-filed-57-complaints-against-the-trump-administration-for-violating-federal-ethics-laws\/","name":"Why We Filed 57 Ethics Complaints Against the Trump Administration - Common Cause","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-10-24T18:24:26+00:00","description":"When the Trump Administration started using government platforms to blame Democrats for the shutdown, we jumped into action.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/articles\/heres-why-common-cause-filed-57-complaints-against-the-trump-administration-for-violating-federal-ethics-laws\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"es","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/articles\/heres-why-common-cause-filed-57-complaints-against-the-trump-administration-for-violating-federal-ethics-laws\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/articles\/heres-why-common-cause-filed-57-complaints-against-the-trump-administration-for-violating-federal-ethics-laws\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Here\u2019s Why Common Cause Filed 57 Complaints Against the Trump Administration for Violating Federal Ethics Laws"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/","name":"Causa com\u00fan","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"es"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/#organization","name":"Causa com\u00fan","url":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"es","@id":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Common-Cause-Logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Common-Cause-Logo.png","width":2066,"height":331,"caption":"Common Cause"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CommonCause","https:\/\/x.com\/CommonCause","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/ourcommoncause\/"]}]}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Common Cause","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/es","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/51475","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/51475\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51485,"href":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/51475\/revisions\/51485"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51475"}],"curies":[{"name":"Gracias","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}