DHS spends $20M in taxpayer funds on ad campaign promoting Trump administration

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are calling out the Trump administration over a series of taxpayer-funded ads that experts say could violate a law against congressionally appropriated funds being used for propaganda.

The three ads started running last week on network and cable TV, as well as streaming platforms. 

New Trump ads mirror 2024 campaign ads

Big picture view:

The first 30-second ad features clips of President Donald Trump talking about defeating communism interspersed with onscreen text promoting the "largest tax cuts in history," "reigniting American manufacturing" and a call to "defend law and order and police."

A second minute-long ad that began airing Friday features scenic videos of Mount Rushmore at night with quotes and clips from Trump’s Fourth of July weekend speech there honoring the country’s 250th anniversary. 

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Over the weekend, a third ad promoting the president resembles a black-and-white video from his own 2024 campaign that shows Trump walking down a hallway as his voice can be heard warning of a "final battle" against "globalists" and "warmongers." It ends with Trump staring straight into the camera lens with the "Paid for by the U.S. Government" message printed.

What they're saying:

In a letter sent to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Sen. Patty Murry of Washington and Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said that the ads are being paid for with money from Trump’s "One Big Beautiful Bill" that was supposed to fund homeland security. 

How much did the ads cost? 

By the numbers:

House Democrats said Trump’s director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russ Vought, moved $20 million from Homeland Security resources to the ad campaign on Sept. 19.

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The next day, a $20 million contract for a "National Media Campaign" was awarded to the Maryland-based LMD Agency, Inc. According to data from AdImpact, more than $2.5 million has been spent on three ads over the past seven days, though that amount could be significantly more. 

Are the ads legal? 

Dig deeper:

Experts have told The Associated Press that the ads could violate a law against congressionally appropriated funds being used for propaganda, though the Government Accountability Office has said propaganda means the government concealed its role in the ad. The Trump ads explicitly state that they’re paid for with taxpayer dollars, according to Axios. 

"We should not have to remind you that using government funding to create or air political ads like the ones that have been running over the last few days is illegal and a shockingly corrupt misuse of taxpayer dollars," the senators wrote.

Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, has compared Trump’s ads to those used by authoritarian former leader Viktor Orban of Hungary. 

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, said it "shouldn’t be paid for with taxpayer dollars."

The White House has defended the ads, describing them as public service announcements and comparing them to the Biden administration running ads about COVID-19 vaccinations. Experts say these differ from other PSAs because they aren’t designed to help Americans access any specific program.

The backstory:

Axios reports that previous administrations have also come under scrutiny for ad campaigns. The GAO said the Bush administration’s Medicare news campaign and an EPA campaign under the Obama administration both failed to disclose that the government made the ads.