Agencies as Campaign Arms: The Machinery of Propaganda

How Trump and the GOP turned America’s public agencies into partisan weapons—shredding the Hatch Act, silencing oversight, and gaslighting the nation.

By Dr. John Petrone

The same Republican disinformation campaign that blames Democrats for a Trump/GOP-engineered shutdown has now taken a darker turn. It’s not just politicians spewing lies. Federal agencies—institutions charged with serving the American people—are now echoing Trump’s campaign rhetoric.

HUD, Veterans Affairs, the EPA, and the SBA have been converted into loudspeakers for partisan propaganda. Instead of focusing on housing, veterans’ care, environmental protection, or small businesses, they are pumping out attacks on the “Radical Left,” smearing Democrats as “radical liberals,” and repeating false claims about immigrants and health care.

This is not governance. It is taxpayer-funded campaigning.

The Facts

• HUD crossed the line openly. A bold red-banner on its website blamed Democrats for the looming shutdown. When challenged, HUD officials claimed “radical left” referred to ideology, not a party. But to the public—and to ethics experts—it was unmistakably partisan.

• Other agencies followed. The VA declared that “radical liberals” were sabotaging veterans’ programs. The EPA explicitly blamed “Congressional Democrats” for refusing a clean funding bill. Even the SBA issued releases parroting Trump’s line about a “Democrat-imposed shutdown.”

• Internal memos are circulating. Across agencies, official communications are being repurposed as campaign messages—shifting blame onto Democrats, framing cuts as their fault, and amplifying Trump’s narrative of victimhood.

This is coordinated. It is deliberate. And it’s happening on the taxpayer’s dime.

The Fiction

• “This is just colorful rhetoric.” False. Federal agencies are bound by law to serve the public, not political parties. These statements aren’t slip-ups—they are intentional messaging crafted to align with campaign strategy.

• “Democrats are sabotaging programs.” False. The GOP holds the White House and both chambers of Congress. They own the budget process. If veterans, families, or communities are hurt, it’s by Republican design.

• “This is about immigrants and open borders.” False. As explained before, immigrants are barred from federal health care subsidies. This isn’t about policy—it’s about scapegoating to mask cruelty and failure.

he Hatch Act in Tatters

For decades, the Hatch Act has served as the firewall between a nonpartisan civil service and the raw politics of campaigns. It forbade federal agencies from using their platforms for partisan ends.

That firewall has now been deliberately breached. In April 2025, the Office of Special Counsel rescinded its 2024 opinion that had tightened restrictions on political messaging. In effect, it gave a green light to federal employees to use official platforms for partisan purposes.

This isn’t unprecedented—Trump’s first term saw repeated Hatch Act violations—but it is now systemic. The restraint is gone. Enforcement is neutered. The message from above is clear: the machinery of government exists to serve the political interests of the regime.

hy This Matters

Language from government agencies is not casual—it is official. When HUD accuses Democrats of “inflicting massive pain” unless they get their “$1.5 trillion wish list,” that is propaganda under the guise of public service. When the VA frames “radical liberals” as enemies of veterans, it weaponizes patriotism and fear. When the EPA cites election results to demand compliance, it is no longer regulating—it is threatening.

This isn’t just offensive rhetoric. It is a deliberate strategy:

• Hollow out institutional neutrality.

• Corrode public trust.

• Transform governance into a propaganda arm of the ruling party.

This is how authoritarian regimes secure power—not by abolishing institutions overnight, but by quietly converting them into partisan tools.

A Clear Pattern

These propaganda blasts are not isolated—they fit a larger pattern of eroding oversight and silencing dissent:

• Watchdogs under siege. The administration is moving to defund the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE), crippling the body that coordinates dozens of federal watchdogs.

• Inspectors General fired. A federal judge found Trump’s mass firing of eight inspectors general unlawful but declined to reinstate them, underscoring how fragile accountability becomes once power is seized.

• Independent media attacked. At Voice of America, the administration tried to eliminate hundreds of jobs. A federal judge blocked the layoffs, but the case revealed blatant political interference in taxpayer-funded news.

Each piece connects. Oversight dismantled. Accountability blocked. Agencies weaponized. The pattern is unmistakable.

How We Fight Back

• Name the assault. Do not minimize this as “controversial.” It is abuse of power. Call it what it is: propaganda.

• Support federal workers and whistleblowers. Their courage to resist politicization is critical. Elevate their voices.

• Demand enforcement. Congress and the courts must restore Hatch Act protections and hold violators accountable.

• Expose the pattern. Document every example. Share it. Force the press to connect the dots.

• Defend oversight bodies. Fight to protect inspectors general and watchdog agencies. Without them, corruption grows unchecked.

The Final Word

Trump and the GOP are not just lying about shutdowns or scapegoating immigrants. They are hollowing out the federal government itself, converting public institutions into campaign weapons.

If this transformation goes unchallenged, the very machinery of governance becomes the machinery of propaganda. And when that line disappears, democracy crumbles silently from within.

P.S. Release the Epstein Files.