The Trump administration is airing campaign-style television ads using money Congress approved for border security upgrades, efforts to combat drug trafficking and memorials for officers killed in the line of duty, according to federal spending records.
Democrats say the ads break multiple federal laws by using taxpayer money for political purposes that Congress never authorized. The White House defends the ads as public service announcements.
One of the spots closely resembles a 30-second video produced by the Trump campaign in 2024. The latest ad features President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth advocating for the Iran war. They feature disclosures saying they are “Paid for by the U.S. Government.”
On Sept. 19, a few days before the ads began airing, the White House Office of Management and Budget added $20 million to a Department of Homeland Security budget line designated for “commemorative events,” according to publicly disclosed OMB data. Congress approved the spending for those events in Trump’s 2025 domestic spending package, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill, and intended it for “Line-of-Duty death memorials, Department or agency anniversaries, and commendation ceremonies,” according to a House budget committee report.
The next day, Sept. 20, DHS awarded a $20 million contract for a “national media campaign” to the LMD Agency, a Maryland-based public relations and media firm that had previously worked for the department. The company did not respond to requests for comment.
#Trump
Democrats say the ads break multiple federal laws by using taxpayer money for political purposes that Congress never authorized. The White House defends the ads as public service announcements.
One of the spots closely resembles a 30-second video produced by the Trump campaign in 2024. The latest ad features President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth advocating for the Iran war. They feature disclosures saying they are “Paid for by the U.S. Government.”
On Sept. 19, a few days before the ads began airing, the White House Office of Management and Budget added $20 million to a Department of Homeland Security budget line designated for “commemorative events,” according to publicly disclosed OMB data. Congress approved the spending for those events in Trump’s 2025 domestic spending package, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill, and intended it for “Line-of-Duty death memorials, Department or agency anniversaries, and commendation ceremonies,” according to a House budget committee report.
The next day, Sept. 20, DHS awarded a $20 million contract for a “national media campaign” to the LMD Agency, a Maryland-based public relations and media firm that had previously worked for the department. The company did not respond to requests for comment.
#Trump
6 days ago
