Trump's Housing Department posts rare partisan shutdown alert

What they're saying: "The Radical Left are going to shut down the government and inflict massive pain on the American people unless they get their $1.5 trillion wish list of demands," the HUD website reads.

• "The Trump administration wants to keep the government open for the American people."
• A HUD spokesperson did not directly respond to Axios' questions about the message, but again blamed the "Far Left" in an emailed statement.
• "At HUD, we are working to keep critical services online and support our most vulnerable. Why is the media more focused on a banner than reporting on the impact of a shutdown on the American people?" the spokesperson asked Axios.

Context: While Republicans hold both houses of Congress and the White House, they need Democrats' help to fund the government.

• Democrats want the budget to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies, but after an inconclusive Oval Office meeting between President Trump and senior Congressional Democrats on Monday, a shutdown seems all but certain.
• If the shutdown begins as planned, hundreds of thousands of federal employees whom the Trump administration deems nonessential will go without pay.
• Russ Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, also instructed agencies to prepare for large-scale layoffs, and it's unclear what federal services could be shuttered or reduced.

The intrigue: HUD is the only one out of 15 executive departments to have a shutdown pop-up blaming the left as of noon Tuesday.

• A Democratic congressional aide told Axios that the HUD site might violate a law prohibiting the use of congressionally-appropriated funds for materials meant to influence legislation pending before Congress.

The other side: A spokesperson for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told Axios in a statement, "Democrats have said for months that we don't want a shutdown and stand ready to work with Republicans to find a bipartisan way forward to address the looming healthcare crisis."

• "If Republicans continue to put politics over people and put their petty antics over American families, they will own this shutdown," the spokesperson added.
• Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) also chimed in on X, writing, "We're fighting to prevent a massive increase in the cost of health care that will hurt Americans."
• "Nothing radical about that," he added.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) wrote on X that the "so-called '$1.5 trillion wish list' is about protecting health care, food assistance, and housing."

• "The fact that this partisan propaganda is plastered on the main page of HUD is outrageous. They're too busy pointing fingers to do their jobs," she said.
• A spokesperson for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.

Zoom out: Other federal agencies are beginning to release statements with similar language blaming Democrats for the shutdown.

• An internal Department of Health and Human Services email sent to staff blamed Democrats for blocking Republicans' funding plans over "unrelated policy demands," according to a copy shared with Axios.
• The Department of Veterans Affairs said if "Radical liberals in Congress" shut down the government, the VA will close regional benefits offices, the GI Bill Hotline and stop public outreach.
• VA hospitals will remain open, and the agency will continue offering compensation, pension, education and housing benefits.

What we're watching: Democrats are not going to let Republicans control the narrative without a fight, as Axios' Andrew Solender and Kate Santaliz reported this morning.

• House Democrats plan to seek unanimous consent on their proposed bill to fund the government and expand health care access through a brief "pro forma" session Tuesday afternoon.
• While these sessions are usually uneventful and sparsely attended, Democrats hope to turn this one into a media bonanza to cast blame on Republicans.

Go deeper: What's at stake in next week's possible government shutdown

This story has been updated with comment from Schumer and with HHS' internal statement.