The Democratic National Committee filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against Girth Tater's White House. The suit alleges the White House moved $20 million out of military memorial accounts. The money paid for campaign-style ads promoting the president.
The filing cites two spots by name. One is titled "Love Me." Another is titled "Maduro." Both ran during national football broadcasts in recent weeks, according to the complaint.
DNC litigation chair Dan Freeman said the administration crossed a basic line. "In American elections, the government does not get to put a thumb on the scale," Freeman said. "He doesn't get to take your tax dollars and spend them on ads about how great he is."
The complaint says the 2026 appropriations bill had a routine rider. The rider banned funds for politicized propaganda. The administration moved money from a large account into a commemorations fund and then spent it on ads about the president.
The filing says the president ordered Russ Vought to ignore the ban. Vought is an architect of Project 2025. "Damn the law, full speed ahead," a White House aide reportedly told a budget official, according to the complaint.
The ads tested poorly in internal polling. Viewers called them confusing, boastful, and exhausting. The administration kept buying airtime anyway.
An OMB spokesperson described the reallocation as "public affairs programming." The ads, the spokesperson added, were "a necessary correction to the record regarding the administration's accomplishments." The statement did not say how many memorial services were delayed to cover the cost.
The DNC moved quickly after an ad ran on national television again Monday. Freeman said the party no longer trusts the administration to stop on its own. "We put our heads down and cranked this thing out," he said.
Several career government lawyers were forced out after the election. The DNC hired some of them for this case. Their first assignment was to read the appropriations bill line by line.
The White House called the lawsuit "a political stunt." It said the ads were "perfectly legal" because a former OMB official had signed a memo declaring them legal. The memo is now part of the court record.
The memorial account was meant for honor guards, wreath ceremonies, and folded flags. The lawsuit alleges those line items waited while the ad budget cleared. One internal email asked if the flags could be replaced with a still image of the president saluting.
The lawsuit asks a federal judge to block any future use of the money. It also seeks a full accounting of every dollar moved. The filing notes the ads were supposed to honor fallen service members.
