FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 24, 2026
Contact: minority_jecpress@jec.senate.gov
Senator Hassan Calls for Immediate Answers on New Taxpayer-Funded Trump Political Ad
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Joint Economic Committee and a senior member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, is calling for immediate answers about a new taxpayer-funded political advertisement promoting President Donald Trump. The new 30-second ad, which has aired dozens of times on The Fox News Channel and Newsmax, has no clear purpose besides promoting President Trump 40 days out from a midterm election and features a disclaimer at the end that it was “Paid for by the U.S. Government.”
“I write today to request information about the government-funded, 30-second political advertisement promoting President Donald Trump that has aired dozens of times this week during commercial breaks of Newsmax and Fox News programs, including Primetime with Jesse Watters,” wrote Senator Hassan in a push for information to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. “The advertisement raises deep concerns about the Trump Administration’s use of taxpayer dollars and its compliance with federal laws that prohibit the use of appropriated funds for the promotion of a political party or candidate.”
“The advertisement does not have a clear official government purpose and appears to run afoul of federal prohibitions against the use of appropriated funds as part of ‘a general propaganda effort designed to aid a political party or candidates,’” continued Senator Hassan. “This taxpayer-funded political advertisement serves as yet another troubling example of President Trump’s growing list of expensive vanity projects – including the White House ballroom – that are estimated to cost over $1.8 billion, money that could have instead be spent lowering costs for Americans.”
Senator Hassan is pushing for the White House to release detailed information about the total cost of running the advertisement nationwide, as well as the production costs. Additionally, Senator Hassan is pushing the White House to identify the source of this funding, including if running this ad resulted in funding diverted from federal agencies, as well as information on the contractors involved in the production of the ad.
Click here to view the full letter Senator Hassan sent today or see below:
Dear Ms. Wiles:
I write today to request information about the government-funded, 30-second political advertisement promoting President Donald Trump that has aired dozens of times this week during commercial breaks of Newsmax and Fox News programs, including Primetime with Jesse Watters. The advertisement raises deep concerns about the Trump Administration’s use of taxpayer dollars and its compliance with federal laws that prohibit the use of appropriated funds for the promotion of a political party or candidate.
The ad, which includes the direct language that it was “paid for by the U.S. Government,” features images of President Trump at political rallies and White House events while the song “Love Me” by JMSN plays in the background. It closes with UFC president Dana White praising President Trump. The advertisement does not have a clear official government purpose and appears to run afoul of federal prohibitions against the use of appropriated funds as part of “a general propaganda effort designed to aid a political party or candidates.”
This taxpayer-funded political advertisement serves as yet another troubling example of President Trump’s growing list of expensive vanity projects – including the White House ballroom – that are estimated to cost over $1.8 billion, money that could have instead be spent lowering costs for Americans. To enable Congress to determine how much American taxpayers are paying for this partisan advertisement, I seek answers to the following questions by October 8, 2026:
- Please detail the total cost of producing this advertisement and the total amount spent on the media buy.
- Provide all invoices, purchase orders, media plans, and other records reflecting those expenditures, including an itemized accounting of expenditures by television network, program, digital platform, geographic market, and other placement.
- Please identify all federal agencies, offices, and individuals involved in proposing, developing, producing, distributing, and authorizing this advertisement. In your response, please provide how many staff hours were used on the project and the cost to taxpayers.
- Please identify the source of federal funds used to produce and disseminate the advertisement, including the agency or office, appropriation, account, and program from which the funds were obligated. Please identify the statutory or other authorities relied upon to use those funds for this purpose.
- Please explain the official government purpose of the advertisement and provide all legal and ethics analyses supporting this purpose. This should include, but not be limited to, any review of restrictions on publicity or propaganda, political activity by federal employees, or other limitations on the use of federal funds. Please identify the officials or offices that conducted or approved those reviews.
- Please identify any outside contractors used to develop, produce, and distribute this advertisement, including but not limited to advertising firms, public relations consultants, and media/advertisement buyers. For each entity, please provide:
- Copies of contracts, agreements, purchase orders, or other purchase instrument and aware number;
- The scope of work;
- The amount obligated under the relevant award; and
- The amount paid or expected to be paid for work associated with this advertisement.
- Please identify all stations and programs on which the advertisement has and will run based on the current advertisement buy. If the Administration intends to expand this advertisement buy, please explain.
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