Trump’s taxpayer-funded PSA appears to violate federal appropriations law
Trump’s taxpayer-funded PSA appears to violate federal appropriations law
- Tue, Sep 29 at 12:42 PM
Mark,
The Trump administration used taxpayer dollars to pay for a series of so-called "Public Service Announcements." One asked Americans to love Donald Trump. Another that aired this weekend is nearly the same as an ad from Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.
The ad features President Trump walking down a hallway, asking people to join him in “the final battle.” He calls on Americans to join him in expelling “the warmongers from our government” and “throw off the sick political class that hates our country.”
There’s just one major difference between this ad and the version Trump posted to Truth Social in January 2024: this one ends with “Paid for by the U.S. government.” That means YOU.While officials in other administrations have crossed the line with the Hatch Act or inappropriate political activity, the scale and brazenness of what we're seeing now is unprecedented.
This ad’s language carefully avoids violating the Hatch Act since it doesn’t call for the election of a party or candidate, but it does appear to violate federal appropriations law, which bars federal agencies from using taxpayer money for “publicity or propaganda.”
There are potential criminal penalties for egregious violations.
The agency that enforces that law, the Government Accountability Office, is an independent, nonpartisan arm of Congress. It typically acts only when members of Congress ask it to, and right now it doesn't even have permanent leadership—another watchdog role left vacant by President Trump.
The majority in Congress can and should immediately push back on this likely misuse of federal funds, but appears unwilling in part because the ad seems clearly aimed at boosting their electoral prospects.
Rather than use its immense platform to issue an actual informative public service announcement addressing Americans’ pressing needs, the White House is using a government-funded PSA as a veneer to spread partisan propaganda. This cannot stand.
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