联邦法官叫停政府公款挺特朗普电视广告：已花1900万美元，禁令即刻生效
曼哈顿联邦法官詹妮弗·罗琼（Jennifer L. Rochon）于美东时间10月11日（周日）晚间发出临时限制令，要求特朗普政府立即停止播放用纳税人资金购买的、宣传特朗普政治议程的电视广告。禁令自美东时间当晚6时45分生效。
据美联社报道，罗琼法官在纽约南区联邦法院批准了以无党派监督组织“共同事业”（Common Cause）为首的原告联盟的申请。法官在命令中写道，在为期两周的禁令期间，“被告不得签订、续签或扩大任何授权开发、制作、传播、投放或播出涉案广告的协议”。
政府开支细节在法庭文件中披露。据CNN报道，司法部在提交给法院的文件中承认，政府已经在这场广告攻势中花费了1900万美元纳税人资金。国土安全部高级官员霍莉·梅林格（Holly Mehringer）在一份宣誓声明中说，广告公司 LMD Agency Inc.“根据命令条款购买了截至2026年10月11日（周日）的媒体投放，费用约为1900万美元”。
据美联社报道，国土安全部为这批广告动用了2000万美元纳税人资金，这笔钱来自国会拨给该部门、用于特朗普移民执法议程的1.75亿美元一揽子拨款。法律专家指出，这种做法可能违反了联邦法律中禁止将国会拨款用于“宣传或鼓吹”的条款。
原告方指控，这些被政府归类为“公共服务公告”的广告，实质上是为11月3日中期选举中共和党候选人助选的政治宣传。据路透社报道，原告在诉状中称，广告并非真正的公共服务信息，而是旨在影响选举结果、服务特朗普个人政治议程的政治广告。
值得注意的是，政府原本计划在禁令下达前就结束这场广告攻势。据CNN报道，司法部上周六深夜告诉罗琼法官，广告投放定于周日晚间结束，并辩称临时限制令“没有必要”，因为“被指控的不当行为明天就结束了”。但罗琼法官认为，广告结束的时间点并不能使诉讼失去意义，仍下达了禁令。
特朗普本人曾在10月5日承认广告引发反弹。据CNN报道，特朗普当时表示：“我已决定自己掏钱做‘爱国广告’等广告，用我为 MAGA Inc. 筹到的钱来付。”但六天之后，纳税人出资的广告仍在播出。据路透社报道，白宫本周表示，总统的政治行动委员会 MAGA PAC 今后将为这些广告出资，但不会报销纳税人已经花掉的钱。这些广告结尾带有“由美国政府付费”的免责声明。
原告方对裁决表示欢迎。据美联社报道，代表原告的非盈利法律组织“民主前行”（Democracy Forward）发表声明说：“我们很高兴法院迅速采取行动，阻止更多纳税人资金被用于如此明目张胆的非法政治宣传。总统没有任何法律依据——也没有先例——可以动用政府机器和国会拨作他用的资金，去影响选举结果、推进自己的议程。”
“共同事业”总裁兼首席执行官弗吉尼亚·凯斯·所罗门（Virginia Kase Solomón）说：“我们不会停下来，直到本届政府被完全问责，从此以后任何党派的总统都不能再浪费和滥用纳税人资金做宣传。”
白宫方面周日晚间暂未回应置评请求。据美联社报道，白宫此前未就法院周日的命令立即发表评论。
Federal Judge Blocks Taxpayer-Funded Pro-Trump TV Ads After $19 Million Spent, Order Takes Effect Immediately
[GSM Washington] U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Rochon in Manhattan issued a temporary restraining order on Sunday evening, October 11, ordering the Trump administration to immediately halt television ads promoting President Donald Trump's political agenda that were purchased with taxpayer money. The order took effect at 6:45 p.m. ET.
According to the Associated Press, Judge Rochon of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York granted the request from a plaintiff coalition led by the nonpartisan watchdog group Common Cause. In her order, the judge wrote that during the two-week duration of the order, "Defendants shall not enter into, renew, or expand any agreement authorizing the development, creation, dissemination, placement, or airing of the challenged advertisements."
Details of government spending were disclosed in court filings. According to CNN, the Justice Department acknowledged in a filing that the government has already spent $19 million in taxpayer money on the ad campaign. Holly Mehringer, a senior Department of Homeland Security official, said in a sworn declaration that advertising firm LMD Agency Inc. "purchased media buys under the terms of the Order through Sunday, October 11, 2026, at an approximate cost of $19,000,000."
According to the Associated Press, the Department of Homeland Security tapped $20 million in taxpayer money for the ads, drawn from a $175 million package Congress provided to the department as part of Trump's immigration enforcement agenda. Legal experts have suggested the spending may violate a federal statute barring congressionally appropriated funds from being used for "publicity or propaganda."
The plaintiffs allege the ads, classified by the government as "public service announcements," were in fact political propaganda designed to help Republican candidates in the November 3 midterm elections. According to Reuters, the lawsuit claims the ads were not genuine public service messages but political advertising aimed at influencing electoral outcomes to advance Trump's personal political agenda.
Notably, the administration had planned to end the ad campaign before the order came down. According to CNN, the Justice Department told Judge Rochon late Saturday that the ad push was scheduled to end Sunday night, arguing a temporary restraining order was unnecessary because "the alleged offending conduct will end tomorrow." But Judge Rochon held that the timing did not render the lawsuit moot and issued the order anyway.
Trump himself acknowledged the backlash on October 5. According to CNN, Trump said at the time: "I have decided to do the Patriotic Ads, among others, and pay for them myself, and with money I raised for MAGA, Inc.," his super PAC. But six days later, the taxpayer-funded ads were still airing. According to Reuters, the White House said this week that the president's political action committee, MAGA PAC, would fund the ads going forward, but would not reimburse taxpayers for money already spent. The ads end with a disclaimer saying they were paid for by the U.S. government.
The plaintiffs welcomed the ruling. According to the Associated Press, Democracy Forward, the nonprofit legal organization representing the plaintiffs, said in a statement: "We are pleased the court acted swiftly to prevent more taxpayer dollars from being used for such blatantly unlawful political propaganda. There is no legal justification — and no precedent — for the president to use the machinery of the government and funds set aside by Congress for other uses to influence electoral outcomes that further his own agenda."
"We won't stop until this administration is held fully accountable, and no president from any party can waste and abuse taxpayer funds for propaganda ever again," said Common Cause President and CEO Virginia Kase Solomón.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday night. According to the Associated Press, the White House had no immediate comment on the court's Sunday order.
图片来源：曼哈顿丹尼尔·帕特里克·莫伊尼汉联邦法院大楼（纽约南区联邦法院所在地），Jim Henderson，CC BY-SA 3.0，Wikimedia Commons
