The White House has tapped a pot of federal taxpayer dollars meant for Customs and Border Protection to fund advertisements promoting President Donald Trump.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), who chairs the Appropriations Committee, confirmed that the money was earmarked for CBP after Democrats accused the Trump administration of using taxpayer dollars to fund political ads.
“It came from the One Big, Beautiful Bill,” Collins said. “It was taken out of funding that was supposed to be for Customs and Border Protection.”
Earlier Tuesday, Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) and Homeland Security Subcommittee ranking member Chris Murphy (D-CT) accused the Department of Homeland Security of using “hard-earned tax dollars to bankroll the obscene political ads celebrating President Trump.”
In a letter sent Tuesday to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, the senators alleged the department reserved $20 million of funds provided to U.S. Customs and Border Protection by Congress in Trump’s OBBBA for “commemorative events relating to border security.”
“This administration’s defense of using Americans’ tax dollars to air these ads is as absurd as it is offensive,” the Democrats wrote. “These ads need to immediately come off the air, taxpayers need to be paid back for this theft, and everyone responsible needs to be held accountable for this corrupt and illegal propaganda.”
Three U.S. government-funded political advertisements have been released since last week, with the federal government spending topping $2 million as of Tuesday afternoon, according to AdImpact, which tracks ad reservations.
The White House has defended the adverts by claiming that they are “clearly not political,” that Trump is not on the ballot, and that the ads do not feature a call to action. The advertisements, titled “The Country He Loves,” “Celebrating The Enduring Spirit,” and “Final Battle,” feature voiceovers from Trump and text saying the U.S. government paid for them.
In “Final Battle,” Trump can be seen walking down a hallway and telling viewers that this “is the final battle. With you at my side, we will demolish the deep state, we will expel the warmongers from our government … we will liberate America from these villains once and for all.”
A White House spokesperson referred to the advertisements as “public service announcements” and said that the ads are “educational and unapologetically patriotic.”
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“These public service announcements are about reminding Americans to love their country and understand what makes it worth defending, at home, at our borders, and abroad,” the spokesperson said
House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) said in a statement that if Democrats hold the House majority next Congress, the Appropriations Committee will “work to uncover and reverse misuses of taxpayer money like this and hold those who abused their power accountable.”