DNC sues administration over taxpayer-funded pro-Trump TV ads

The Democratic National Committee sued the Trump administration Wednesday over its taxpayer-funded advertisements that portray President Donald Trump in a favorable light, alleging the ads violate federal laws on government spending and propaganda.

The DNC cited a measure Trump signed into law this year that says funds appropriated by Congress can’t be used “for publicity or propaganda purposes within the United States not heretofore authorized by Congress.”

The lawsuit also cites the Anti-Deficiency Act, which bars spending government money that hasn’t been appropriated by Congress, and the Purpose Statute, which says taxpayer funds can be used only for the specific purposes approved by Congress.

The DNC said the administration’s use of taxpayer dollars for “campaign-style advertisements” deprived Democrats “of a fair electoral process by adding public funds to the resources available to support Republican candidates.” The use of public funds places Democratic candidates at an electoral disadvantage, it argued.

The ads, launched last month, sparked criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, many of whom questioned their legality.

Trump reversed course Monday, announcing on Truth Social he would no longer use government funds for the ads and saying he and his PAC, MAGA Inc., would foot the bill moving forward, instead. He didn’t say whether the government would be reimbursed for the ads that already ran.

Reached for comment on the DNC lawsuit, the White House pointed NBC News to Trump’s Truth Social post. The Department of Homeland Security and the Office of Management and Budget, which are named as defendants in addition to Trump and the White House, didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit.

Since Trump’s announcement, several of the ads have continued to run with the disclaimer that they were paid for by the U.S. government.

Asked by NBC News whether those were paid for before or after Trump pledged to cover the costs, the White House wouldn’t say either way.

A person familiar with the ads said that the ad buy for the spots, placed before Trump’s Monday announcement, will end this week. Afterwards, the person said, outside groups will begin paying for the ads.

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NBC News has reported that a $20 million contract was awarded to a Maryland firm for the ad campaign. AdImpact, a political ad-tracking firm, estimated that at least $10 million had been spent to air the ads through Monday.

Attorneys for the DNC asked a federal judge in Washington to find that the administration acted unlawfully “by developing and airing the propaganda ads using Congressionally appropriated funds” and to prevent it from using those funds to develop and air the ads in the future.

DNC Chair Ken Martin condemned the administration for using taxpayer dollars as Americans struggle with a rising cost of living.

“Americans deserve better than to have their hard-earned tax dollars used for Trump’s illegal schemes,” he said in a statement Wednesday.

The federal money for the ads came from funds intended for Customs and Border Protection, an arm of DHS. NBC News reported that CBP leadership was cut out of the decision to run the ads.

Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee, said last week that the ads didn’t merit FCC review, arguing that they weren’t “anything at all out of the ordinary.”

The White House has defended the ads by calling them “clearly not political” and claiming they were about “reminding Americans to love their country.” It has also pointed to other administrations’ use of public safety announcements.