Many of us, as retirees from the Tahoe National Forest, are deeply troubled by a new text banner suddenly appearing at the top of National Forest webpages and those of other federal agencies. This banner undermines the long-standing principle of a nonpartisan federal workforce and appears to violate the Hatch Act.
Google summarizes this act: “The Hatch Act, a federal law from 1939, limits the political activities of federal employees. Its purpose is to prevent the use of official authority to influence elections and maintain a nonpartisan federal workforce….. While on duty, in federal buildings, or using government property, employees cannot engage in partisan political activities such as displaying campaign materials, wearing political clothing, or using government resources for partisan purposes. This includes posting partisan content on social media using official accounts or equipment.”
As retired federal employees, we served under many administrations, following their directives and those of Congress while upholding our professional duty to manage the National Forests without political bias. We know today’s employees take that responsibility just as seriously.
Placing a partisan banner on government websites is not only inappropriate—it erodes public trust in federal agencies and their mission to serve all citizens fairly.
Ann Westling and many other Tahoe National Forest retirees