When I was first elected to the Senate, I was determined to do things a little differently and bring some of my oversight work to the upper chamber.

And I wanted to share just one example:

By now, if you visit the nation’s capital, you’ve probably seen these propaganda banners sprouting up on federal buildings. We’ve uncovered how much these banners cost taxpayers through never-before-seen documents.  

And why they’re illegal.

In just four months, at least three federal agencies have paid for massive political banners with your tax dollars:

- U.S. Department of Agriculture: ~$16,400

- Department of Labor: ~$6,000

- Health and Human Services: ~$34,000

That’s at least $50,000 in taxpayer money for Trump propaganda:

These aren’t informational signs. They don’t explain programs, benefits, or public services. They are giant portraits of the President. They look like they're straight out of soviet Russia. And they are the textbook definition of propaganda.

Since 1951, federal law has explicitly prohibited using taxpayer funds for propaganda and self-aggrandizement.

This isn’t a gray area. It’s illegal.

And it violates the Constitution’s command that no funds leave the Treasury except as appropriated by Congress.

Through our oversight work, my office uncovered a never-before-reported contract for a banner at HHS that goes even further — specifying that the propaganda banners should “last for 4 years.” In other words, until the end of Trump’s term.

This is not only a waste of taxpayer dollars. It’s also an authoritarian tactic.

Dictators from Stalin to Saddam to Putin to Kim Jong Un have plastered their images on government buildings to demonstrate power.

And now, the Trump Administration is doing the same in Washington. 

Let’s be clear: this is not normal. It’s not lawful. And it’s not democratic. It’s propaganda – paid for with your money.

Democracy doesn’t disappear overnight — it vanishes day by day, one lawless act after another.  Oversized portraits on government buildings may look like vanity. But they are also a warning. We must take it seriously.

I’m going to keep fighting to hold Donald Trump and his Administration accountable, and your support makes my work possible.

Thanks for all you do,

Adam