by Melissa O’Rourke
Several Democratic governors are being accused of weaponizing official state websites to pin the government shutdown on Republicans.
Government funding lapsed on Oct. 1 after Senate Democrats blocked a bipartisan continuing resolution. Despite this, several Democrat-led states have used official websites to frame Republicans as responsible for the shutdown.
Pennsylvania, Illinois and California — all led by Democratic governors considered potential 2028 presidential contenders — posted messages this week suggesting that the potential loss of benefits was caused by Republicans’ failure to pass a budget.
⚠️ Official Government Website or Democrat Campaign Page? ⚠️
The PA Department of Human Services just posted this on its official website, blaming Republicans for the federal government shutdown and paused SNAP payments.
Taxpayer-funded agencies should never be used for… pic.twitter.com/y9UtcDHfGm
— PA GOP (@PAGOP) October 20, 2025
Senate Democrats on Monday rejected a clean GOP-led funding bill for the 11th time, sending the shutdown into its fourth week. Democrats have conditioned their support on roughly $1.4 trillion in new spending for various left-leaning priorities, including measures that would expand healthcare subsidies for illegal immigrants and extend COVID-era Obamacare subsidies.
“Because Republicans in Washington D.C., failed to pass a federal budget, causing the federal government shutdown, November 2025 SNAP benefits cannot be paid,” the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services website reads.
The Pennsylvania GOP quickly called on Gov. Josh Shapiro to apologize, accusing his administration of politicizing public service announcements.
“Public service isn’t a political weapon,” the Pennsylvania GOP wrote in an X post on Monday. “Using a government website to fuel your partisan agenda is indefensible.”
The Illinois SNAP portal, under Gov. JB Pritzker, issued a similar warning, stating benefits could be disrupted “if the Republican federal government shutdown continues.”
“Illinois officials are parroting false talking points to cover for Senate Democrats like Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, who are blocking funding to force through their $1.4 trillion radical wish list,” Republican Rep. Mary Miller of Illinois told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “House Republicans passed a clean, bipartisan bill to keep the government open and protect programs like SNAP.”
“The truth is, the only thing standing between families and their benefits is Democrat obstruction,” Miller added.
California’s Health and Human Services site attributed the shutdown to “the failures of the President and Congress to continue government funding.” Gov. Gavin Newsom of California took to X Monday to say the federal funding lapse was “devastating working people, small business owners, and families” while describing it as “Donald Trump’s shutdown.”
The offices of Shapiro, Pritzker and Newsom did not respond to the DCNF’s requests for comment.
Federal websites have also posted shutdown notices blaming Democrats. The Department of Agriculture, which administers SNAP, displayed a banner reading, “Due to the Radical Left Democrat shutdown, this government website will not be updated during the funding lapse.”
The food stamp program, which supports over 40 million low-income Americans, will run out of money in two weeks, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Thursday.
“Democrats are putting free healthcare for illegal aliens and their political agenda ahead of food security for American families,” Rollins posted on X Thursday.
Federal employees are slated to miss their first full paycheck on Friday. However, Congressional Democrats have so far opposed a standalone bill to pay troops and federal employees reporting to work during the funding lapse.
The primary concern regarding the shutdown pertains to the Affordable Care Act’s premium tax credits. Democrats want to extend these tax credits, while Republicans have concerns about the potential waste, fraud, and abuse associated with them.
Vice President JD Vance told Face the Nation that the “tax credits go to some people deservedly, and we think the tax credits actually go to a lot of waste and fraud within the insurance industry.”
“We want to make sure that the tax credits go to the people who need them,” Vance added.
Tuesday marks the 21st day of the government shutdown, which ties it for the second-longest closure in American history.
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Melissa O’Rourke is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation. Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network and contributed to this story.
Photo “Gavin Newsom” by Gavin Newsom.
