Federal Judge Halts Trump Taxpayer-Funded Ad Campaign

U.S. District Judge Jennifer Rochon ordered the Department of Homeland Security to immediately stop airing taxpayer-funded advertisements that promote President Donald Trump and his policies. The temporary restraining order, issued late Saturday, halts the campaign for 14 days while the court considers a longer injunction.

The administration had spent approximately $19 million of a $20 million allocation on the ads, which aired on major networks including CBS, CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC. DHS officials had previously stated the campaign would end Sunday and no further ad buys were planned.

“The challengers would suffer harm that cannot be undone. A temporary halt serves the public interest.”

The lawsuit was filed by Common Cause, an Alabama Democratic candidate, a New York labor union, and a political action committee. They argued the ads violated the Anti-Deficiency Act and appropriations laws barring the use of federal funds for partisan political promotion.

The Justice Department opposed the injunction, arguing the case was moot because the ads were scheduled to stop regardless. Judge Rochon rejected this, finding the plaintiffs would suffer irreparable harm and that the public interest favored a pause.

A separate lawsuit filed by the Democratic National Committee remains pending in Washington, D.C. Both cases allege the campaign was designed to influence voters ahead of the midterm elections.