Senator Patty Murray, Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, is leading a legislative push to financially penalize the White House for airing political advertisements funded by taxpayers.
Murray and fellow Senate appropriators introduced the Penalties for Propaganda Act, a bill designed to cut the Office of Management and Budget’s budget by $20 million for each instance taxpayer money is used for propaganda.
The legislation comes after the Trump administration spent at least $2.9 million in taxpayer funds airing political ads that prominently celebrated President Donald Trump, according to data from AdImpact.
Democrats argue the ads, released weeks before the midterm elections, violate longstanding federal law prohibiting the use of taxpayer money for political propaganda purposes.
Federal law explicitly bars such spending under Section 718 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026, which states no appropriated funds shall be used “directly or indirectly, including through a private contractor, for publicity or propaganda purposes within the United States not heretofore authorized by Congress.”
While the law does not formally define “publicity or propaganda,” the Government Accountability Office has identified three categories of banned activity: self-aggrandizement, covert propaganda, and purely partisan materials.
The GAO, an independent agency under Congress’ jurisdiction, would investigate any potential violations, though criminal charges would ultimately fall to the Justice Department to pursue.
Federal law carries serious consequences for violations, as anyone who “knowingly and willfully” misuses government funds could face fines of up to $5,000 and up to two years in prison.
Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, argued via social media that the ads could amount to “felony criminal theft and conversion of government property for political campaign purposes.”
The Penalties for Propaganda Act frames the budget cuts as a direct financial deterrent, structured so that each separate instance of illegal propaganda use triggers an additional $20 million reduction to OMB’s funding.
Democratic lawmakers are framing the bill as a necessary enforcement mechanism, given that existing federal prohibitions have not appeared to deter the administration from using public funds to promote the president’s political agenda.
The legislation adds to growing tensions between congressional Democrats and the Trump White House over the boundaries between legitimate government communication and taxpayer-funded political advertising in a midterm election year.
