1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

I am writing as your constituent to demand strict Article I oversight and immediate enforcement action regarding a national television ad campaign featuring President Trump that bears the explicit disclosure "Paid for by the U.S. Government." The commercial—which began airing across national cable networks and local media markets—features footage of President Trump declaring "America will never be a communist country," includes a testimonial from UFC CEO Dana White, and uses an unauthorized soundtrack while highlighting administrative policy claims. While the White House characterizes these broadcasts as "educational public service announcements," utilizing public funds to air self-congratulatory media centered on the personal and political brand of a sitting president is not education. It is state-sponsored publicity produced at taxpayer expense. Timing this campaign directly ahead of the midterm elections strips away any pretense of neutral public service. Converting public appropriations into political self-promotion violates established statutory guardrails and constitutional separation-of-powers boundaries: - Violation of Statutory Publicity and Propaganda Prohibition: Annual federal appropriations acts explicitly prohibit executive agencies from using taxpayer funds for "publicity or propaganda purposes" or for self-aggrandizement not authorized by Congress. - Systemic Pattern of Misused Agency Appropriations: This campaign follows earlier expenditures—such as the Department of Homeland Security's $220 million self-deportation advertising buy—where executive agencies repurposed public funds to promote politically branded administration directives. - Subversion of Power of the Purse Authority: Under Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution, no money can be drawn from the Treasury except pursuant to explicit congressional appropriations. Spending public funds on unappropriated personal publicity subverts Congress's exclusive power of the purse and risks triggering the Antideficiency Act. American taxpayers must not be forced to finance political broadcasts designed to glorify elected officials. Congress holds the sole constitutional authority to police executive expenditures and enforce spending limits. I urge your office to take three immediate oversight steps: 1. Request a Formal GAO Antideficiency Determination: Join congressional inquiries requesting that the Comptroller General of the United States issue a formal legal decision on whether this advertising buy violates statutory publicity prohibitions and constitutes an unauthorized expenditure under the Antideficiency Act. 2. Demand Full Accounting of Public Funds: Require the White House and contracting agencies to publicly disclose the exact account sources, contract vehicles, and total public funds used to produce and distribute these media buys. 3. Enact Binding Appropriations Safeguards: Support statutory riders in upcoming spending bills that explicitly prohibit federal funds from being spent on media campaigns featuring the image, name, or likeness of a sitting president or political appointee. Congress must defend the integrity of public funds and prevent executive agencies from converting taxpayer resources into political propaganda. I look forward to your direct reply detailing the actions you take to enforce these spending limits.