Sponsors
The bill aims to save taxpayer money and strengthen impartiality and fairness in official communications by clarifying coverage, banning conflicted spending, and requiring competition — but it also raises compliance costs, procurement delays, legal uncertainty, and risks limiting legitimate government communications unless definitions and enforcement are clarified.
Taxpayers: federal funds are less likely to be spent on partisan or self-dealing political ads and consulting, saving money and reducing misuse of taxpayer dollars.
Federal agencies and oversight bodies: clearer definitions of which officials, communications, and contractors the Act covers make it easier to assess permitted conduct and improve accountability for executive-branch communications.
Government contractors and taxpayers: requiring full-and-open competition for official advertising purchases increases fairness and transparency in procurement and can lower costs or improve value for the government.
Federal agencies and vendors: broader definitions and new prohibitions create added compliance burdens and administrative costs, increasing agency workload and program expenses.
Federal agencies: requirements for full-and-open competition and conflict restrictions can delay procurements and slow time-sensitive public communications, hampering agencies' ability to respond quickly.
Taxpayers: without a clear, enforceable mechanism, prohibitions on certain advertising or consulting may be ineffective, leaving misuse of funds possible despite the statutory ban.
Based on analysis of 10 sections of legislative text.
Introduced March 18, 2026 by Jacklyn Sheryl Rosen · Last progress March 18, 2026
Prohibits Cabinet Members from using federally authorized or appropriated funds to hire political consulting firms or political advertising/marketing firms to create or distribute official advertisements when there is a financial conflict of interest involving the Cabinet Member or certain senior appointees or special Government employees who report to them. Requires full and open competition under existing federal procurement law when contracting for official advertisements and bars any official advertisement whose primary purpose is self-promotion. The bill defines key terms such as Cabinet Member, financial relationship, official advertisement, political consulting/advertising firm, senior executive political appointee, and special Government employee.