October 21, 2026—A federal judge ordered the Trump Administration to stop running taxpayer-funded television ads that feature the president.
U.S. District Judge Jennifer Rochon issued a temporary restraining order to stop airing the advertisements through November 8. The initial order on October 11 froze payments by the Customs Border Protection to the political advertising firm Lepugh, Inc. and instructed the administration to stop airing the ads. The Department of Homeland Security had allocated $20 million for the ads. The DHS funding taps into money that Congress had allocated for immigration enforcement.
A coalition of Common Cause, a grassroots organization, a local branch of the Service Employees International Union, Empire State PAC, and a political candidate in Alabama named Robert Hunter filed the lawsuit on October 7. They said the use of the funds for campaign-style ads violates U.S. law and unfairly targets political opponents during the election season.
“By shifting taxpayer funds to place the government’s thumb squarely on the scale before hard-fought elections, Defendants have already caused Plaintiffs (and the integrity of our elections) immense harm,” the lawsuit asserted.
Clawback Requested
The case is ongoing with a preliminary injunction hearing set for November 4 in New York and a discovery process in play. Plaintiffs are seeking a court order to restore, or “clawback,” the funding.
Writing for the Common Cause, Kenny Colston said the purpose of the lawsuit is to enforce the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, which bars government officials from using taxpayer money for publicity or propaganda.
Separately, the Democracy Defenders Action and Hecker Fink LLP filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on behalf of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin and a candidate for office state named Yee Leng Xiong.
