Is The White House Scaring Federal Workers Into Campaigning for Healthcare Reform?

The White House Office of Health Reform Director Nancy-Ann DeParle has been feverishly sending out unsolicited email messages to federal employees in an effort to build support for President Barack Obama’s health reform package over the last several weeks. DeParle’s unsolicited emails have been regularly coming to some federal employees’ official government email inboxes for weeks without permission or request, causing some federal employees to feel threatened by the overt political language.

The Department of State employees, who receive hundreds of official government emails every day, have complained about the annoying and partisan emails but are nervous to go public for fear of retribution. The emails are addressed to the federal employees by name and use the official .gov address.

The unsolicited emails also request that the federal employees take action in order to ensure that Obama’s health reform package is passed and the federal budget isn’t at risk for bankruptcy. One federal employee was so concerned about DeParle’s language in one email that he questioned whether his department’s budget would be cut or eliminated without passage of Obama’s bill. DeParle uses scare tactics that some assume are meant as threats:

“No ifs, ands or buts about it — if we do nothing to reform our broken health care system, costs will continue to skyrocket and break the budgets of American families, small businesses and the Federal Government,” read the March 12th email from DeParle.

But should federal employees be subjected to partisan propaganda? What precedent does it send for the White House to use the federal work force for their partisan agenda? And shouldn’t we let State Department federal workers concentrate on pressing issues like the Israeli-Palestinian issue or the Iranian nuclear weapons issue? Why would Department of Transportation employees have to worry about forwarding The White House’s partisan emails to their address books? Federal employees are public servants not partisan foot soldiers for President Obama and shouldn’t have to decide whether a partisan White House request can be ignored without consequences.

DeParle’s solicitation requests federal employees act on behalf of the President’s agenda by making this directive:

“You can help raise awareness by sharing this email with your friends, family and online networks,” read the March 11th email from DeParle.

But what would happen if the federal employee doesn’t act in the way The White House is suggesting? Would there be retribution? Has The White House requested that another federal agency monitor who is acting on behalf of Obama’s health reform bill and who is not?

Turning the President’s partisan agenda into White House directives to the federal workforce has crossed the line and should be stopped immediately.

Sample email:

From: Nancy-Ann DeParle, The White House [mailto:info@messages.whitehouse.gov]


Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2010 12:10 PM


To: (Name Withheld)


Subject: 625

Good morning,


625 — that’s the number of people who lost their health insurance every hour in 2009.1


A statistic like that tells a frightening story — losing insurance can happen to anyone. How many more Americans have to lose their health insurance and how many more businesses have to drop coverage before we fix our broken health care system?


We’ve been debating what to do about our broken health care system for decades — not just this past year. Every idea has been put on the table. Every argument has been made. Everything there is to say about health reform has been said. It’s time to decide how to reform our health care system to give American families and businesses the security and stability they deserve.


As the President has said, “In the United States of America, no one should have to worry that they’ll go without insurance — not for one year, not for one month, not for one day.”


The millions of Americans who lost their insurance last year can’t wait any longer. The time is now for health insurance reform.


625 is the latest digit in ‘Health Reform by the Numbers,’ an online campaign to spread the word about the need for health insurance reform. You can help raise awareness by sharing this email with your friends, family and online networks.


Let’s get it done.


Nancy-Ann DeParle


Director, White House Office of Health Reform


1The Wonk Room, ThinkProgress.org, UPDATE: 15,000 People Lost Health Insurance Per Day In 2009




This email was sent to (name withheld)@state.gov


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