The Steady State Sends Criminal Referral to DOJ Over Taxpayer-Funded Trump Ads
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 30, 2026
Washington, D.C. — The Steady State, an organization of 450 former national security officials, today submitted a criminal referral to the Department of Justice asking it to investigate whether federal officials knowingly and willfully violated federal law by spending taxpayer funds on three television advertisements centered on President Trump. Each advertisement identifies itself as “Paid for by the U.S. Government.” One of the advertisements is virtually identical to an advertisement used by Trump's 2024 presidential campaign.
The first advertisement began airing September 23 on Fox News and Newsmax. The following day, the ranking members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees wrote to the White House Chief of Staff citing the publicity-or-propaganda prohibition. Two additional advertisements were aired over the following three days, including the advertisement previously used by the Trump campaign.
Federal law prohibits the use of appropriated funds “for publicity or propaganda purposes within the United States not heretofore authorized by Congress.” Spending appropriated funds for a prohibited purpose may also violate the Anti-deficiency Act, which provides criminal penalties for officers or employees who knowingly and willfully violate the Act. The referral asks the Department of Justice to investigate how the advertisements were paid for, who approved the spending and what they knew when they did, and to preserve the relevant records. It also asks that the matter be assigned to career prosecutors.
“Taxpayer dollars are appropriated to carry out the work of the United States government, not to pay for campaign-style advertising promoting the President,” said Steven A. Cash, Executive Director of The Steady State. “The question now is who authorized this spending, what funds were used, and whether those responsible knowingly violated federal law. Those questions warrant an independent investigation.”
Copies were sent to the Comptroller General, the leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, the Justice Department Inspector General, the Office of Management and Budget, and the White House.
The referral is available at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ytjj4WEETGSyHQbcqUSKPAQdlU9RSwTk/view?usp=drive_link
About The Steady State
The Steady State is a nonprofit organization of more than 450 former senior national and homeland security professionals. Our membership includes former officials from the CIA, FBI, Department of State, Department of Defense, and Department of Homeland Security. Drawing on deep expertise across national security disciplines, including intelligence, diplomacy, military affairs, and law, we advocate for constitutional democracy, the rule of law, and the preservation of America’s national security institutions.
Media Contact: contact@thesteadystate.org | (212) 685-9660