Key Facts

• The White House is running ads funded by taxpayers that promote President Trump’s political agenda before the November midterm elections.
• Senator John Kennedy, a Republican, said there should be a rule against spending government money on ads that promote politicians personally.
• Kennedy pointed out that spending public money on ads for political figures like Trump or Kristi Noem is inappropriate and probably illegal.
• The Hatch Act is a law that bans government employees from using government resources for political campaign activities.
• One of the ads is a 30-second video showing Trump with text supporting his political messages and criticizing Democrats.
• Another ad aired during a college football game and on Fox News shows Trump promising to fight against political opponents using strong campaign language.
• The White House calls these ads “public service announcements,” but critics say they function as political ads.
• The debate raises questions about whether government-paid ads promoting President Trump break legal limits on political campaigning by government officials.