WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity filed a complaint under the Hatch Act today against Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins for displaying partisan banners on government websites that blame Democrats for the government shutdown and impending lapse in federal food assistance.

“It’s sickening that millions of Americans are about to go hungry and the person responsible for the food stamp program is blatantly lying and pandering,” said Ivan Ditmars, an attorney at the Center. “The Trump administration has no qualms about breaking the law to deceive the public, but people aren’t easily fooled. We all know Trump and his lackeys have no interest in fixing this government shutdown mess they created. And now they’re choosing to worsen the pain by withholding food from America’s most vulnerable families.”

The 1939 Hatch Act prohibits taxpayer funding from being used for partisan purposes. Hatch Act complaints are processed by the Office of Special Counsel, an independent agency within the executive branch. However, the agency’s website states that office is closed “due to a lapse in appropriations.”

The websites of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the department’s food and nutrition service are featuring prominent messages blaming Senate Democrats for not funding the food stamp program. The message, which dominates the department’s homepage, reiterates a false Trump talking point about federal funding.

This is not the first time the Trump administration violated the Hatch Act since the government shutdown began a month ago. Earlier this month the Center filed complaints against the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of Health and Human Services over similar partisan language to describe the shutdown on government websites.