4 Apolitical Reasons Federal Websites Went Dark4 Apolitical Reasons Federal Websites Went Dark

I couldn't believe it at first when I saw that websites from Data.Gov to the Library of Congress and beyond had been eviscerated and replaced with splash pages reading, "Due to the lapse in federal government funding, this website is not available. We sincerely regret this inconvenience." My first response was irritation. Since when would an automated system need staff to run it, at least in the short term? On the surface, it would seem that it would take more effort to shut them down than to keep them running, so the motivation would appear to be political or "I'll-show-YOU" maneuvers.

As a government employee, I firmly believe that staff (as opposed to political appointees or elected officials) has a responsibility to avoid politics and to take actions based on business objectives. So, shutting down systems that could have continued operations just as easily (with a caveat that no support is available) smacks of making a political point.

Indeed, some agencies, according to the Washington Post are updating their home pages "intermittently," or to keep things "static" during this period of shutdown. Why can't they all do that?

Yet, on further reflection and discussion with colleagues, there ARE at least a couple of reasons why politics might not be involved.