Department of Labor under fire for language similar to Nazi slogan

Updated Jan. 13, 2026, 7:58 p.m. ET

A social media post from the Department of Labor is attracting criticism for appearing to echo a Nazi-era slogan from the early 20th century.

The department posted to X on Jan. 10, "One Homeland. One People. One Heritage. Remember who you are, American."

Dozens of users commented and reposted, expressing alarm and outrage over what they called an alarming echo of what the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum describes as one of the central slogans used by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. That slogan is, "One People, One Realm, One Leader."

The department’s post accompanied an 11-second video of a bust of George Washington over a black-and-white montage of iconic paintings of American history. They include several depicting the American Revolution and popular propaganda posters from World War I and II.

The agency did not immediately respond to USA TODAY requests for comment on the post.

It’s not the first time the administration has come under fire for using images and language that mirror those used in white nationalist circles, including those with links to Nazi Germany.

The White House and Department of Homeland Security both posted an image of a man riding through a snowy mountainous terrain with a stealth bomber in the air. The text above the image read: "We’ll have our home again," and encouraged people to join Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Adam Tooze, a British historian and author who has written about the Third Reich and Nazi Germany, said on social media that the phrase is from a "white nationalist anthem."

In August 2025, a Southern Poverty Law Center review of Department of Homeland Security social media posts and web content said the agency uses "white nationalist and anti-immigrant images and slogans in recruitment materials."

The administration’s agencies have also taken to using images that idealize American history, including its agricultural and economic peaks.

Descendants of Norman Rockwell rebuked the Department of Homeland Security in November 2025 for sharing the iconic American painter’s work without authorization. The agency shared three of Rockwell’s works and added the text: "Protect our American way of life," "Manifest Heroism" and a quote from President Calvin Coolidge, "Those who do not want to be partakers of the American spirit ought not to settle in America."

In an op-ed published in USA TODAY, the family said the administration misrepresented the artist and slammed the agency for using Rockwell’s work "for the cause of persecution toward immigrant communities and people of color."

That same month, the Department of Labor unveiled a social media campaign with Rockwell-style images of primarily White men engaging in various jobs. The images are reminiscent of 1940s and 1950s government posters. Only one of the posts features a non-White man.

The campaign primarily touted the administration’s efforts to expand apprenticeship programs and limit foreign labor, featuring slogans such as "Build Your Homeland’s Future!" and "Restoring the American Dream!"

Kathryn Palmer is a politics reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her atkapalmer@usatoday.com and on X @KathrynPlmr. Sign up for her daily politics newsletterhere.