Thread by @SenAdamSchiff

By now, you’ve probably seen these propaganda banners sprouting up on federal buildings.

We’ve uncovered how much these banners cost through never-before-seen documents.

And why they’re illegal:

(Thread 🧵)

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

- USDA: ~$16,400
- Dept. of Labor: ~$6,000
- HHS: ~$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 North Korea.

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.

And 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 plastered their images on government buildings to demonstrate power.

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.

We are demanding answers, accountability, and a full halt to this abuse of taxpayer funds.

If you have information about other illegal propaganda purchases, my office wants to hear from you.

Whistleblowers can report directly to Congress.

Democracy doesn’t disappear overnight – it is 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.