A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to stop running taxpayer-funded ads for at least 14 days, putting a halt to the spots that resemble campaign messaging.
U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Rochon granted a temporary restraining order that prohibits Trump officials from using funds appropriated to the Department of Homeland Security for the ads. The order also will force the administration to cancel the rest of a $20 million purchase of ad time.
Common Cause, Robert Hunter, Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ and Empire State 32BJ SEIU PAC filed suit to halt the spots, arguing that the ads were overtly political yet were paid for with taxpayer funds. In one case, one of the ads that has been running was almost identical to one that was made for Trump’s 2024 campaign.
The plaintiffs “have demonstrated that they are likely to succeed on the merits, will suffer irreparable harm in the absence of an injunction, the balance of the equities tips in their favor, and an injunction serves the public interest,” the judge wrote.
The plaintiffs’ coalition said in a statement, “We are pleased the court acted swiftly to prevent more taxpayer dollars from being used for such blatantly unlawful political propaganda. There is no legal justification — and no precedent — for the president to use the machinery of the government and funds set aside by Congress for other uses to influence electoral outcomes that further his own agenda.”
In a filing before the judge issued her order, the Department of Homeland Security stated that the ads would not continue past Sunday.
Trump announced last week that his political action committee, MAGA Inc., would start funding the advertising campaign, but he did not say whether the federal government would be reimbursed for the costs already incurred.
The administration had previously argued that the ads were public service announcements, in line with past presidents. But past administrations produced PSAs to promote programs like the Affordable Care Act and initiatives like vaccinations against Covid.