Judge Orders Trump Administration to Halt $20 Million Taxpayer-Funded TV Ad Blitz

A federal judge on Sunday evening ordered the Trump administration to cancel any further airings of the controversial taxpayer-funded ads promoting President Donald Trump’s agenda, granting a temporary restraining order just hours before the administration’s ad push was set to end.

Judge Jennifer Rochon, in federal court in New York, granted the order requested by a coalition led by the nonprofit government watchdog group Common Cause, which had challenged the ad buys. The Justice Department told the judge late Saturday that the ad campaign was set to end Sunday night anyway — but Rochon said that timing did not render the lawsuit moot, and ordered the government to halt any further airings as of 6:45 p.m. ET.

$19 million already spent

The government said in a court filing that it has already spent $19 million in taxpayer money on the ads. The administration had allocated $20 million for the spots, which were classified as “public service announcements,” from U.S. Customs and Border Protection funds, CNN previously reported. An advertising company, LMD Agency Inc., purchased media buys through Sunday, October 11, 2026, at an approximate cost of $19 million, senior Department of Homeland Security official Holly Mehringer said in a sworn declaration in the case.

The Department of Homeland Security, which includes CBP, directed LMD “to not make any additional media buys past October 11,” Mehringer added, noting there are “no plans” to purchase any additional ads.

The administration created at least 13 campaign-style ads, some of which aired on networks including CBS, CNN, MS NOW, Fox News and Fox. Common Cause called the ads a clear violation of appropriations law restricting the use of federal funding for propaganda or partisan communications; Common Cause and the Democratic National Committee separately sued the administration over the spots.

Backlash and a promise to pay

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle expressed concerns about the unprecedented ad campaign when it began late last month. On October 5, Trump acknowledged the backlash and said he would pay for the “Patriotic Ads,” among others, “myself, and with money I raised for MAGA, Inc.,” his super PAC — but six days later, the taxpayer-funded ads were still airing.

White House officials said the next day that arrangement applied only “moving forward,” and taxpayers would not receive reimbursement for money already spent. A White House spokesperson said Monday that Trump did not plan to reimburse the government for the ad buys, and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, pressed on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” on whether taxpayers would be refunded, offered no commitment to do so.

The judge’s order blocks any further ad buys for two weeks, so if the administration considers resuming the campaign at taxpayer expense, Justice Department lawyers would need to get the court order lifted. The coalition that brought the suit praised the ruling, saying, “We are pleased the court acted swiftly to prevent more taxpayer dollars from being used for such blatantly unlawful political propaganda.” A final judicial ruling on whether the ads were legal is still pending.

Reporting based on coverage by CNN.