releases: https://www.enzi.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ContentRecord_id=4ccf8a34-f5b8-42e0-a98a-f47f5096979b
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://www.enzi.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ContentRecord_id=4ccf8a34-f5b8-42e0-a98a-f47f5096979b | Enzi Pushes OMB Director to Disclose Spending by Feds on Outside Public Relations Activities | 2015-10-08 | 2015 | 2015-10 | Republican | House | WY | Michael Enzi | E000285 | www.enzi.senate.gov | legacy | Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, in a letter today to Shaun Donovan, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), voiced concerns about spending by Executive Branch entities on messaging activities. Enzi noted that according to a recent report by the Congressional Research Service, oversight on agency spending on advertising, public relations and media relations is largely unknown because it is hard to tell how much is spent and where the money is going. The Chairman is requesting Director Donovan to provide an Executive Branch-wide total of all spending on advertising, public relations and media relations efforts in FY 2015, as well as a breakdown of how much was spent within each category. Federal law prohibits the use of appropriated federal funds for publicity or propaganda purposes. Excerpts follow: I am concerned about how much is being spent on this SAMHSA contract and other such messaging activities conducted by Executive Branch entities. Agency spending on advertising, public relations and media relations is largely a black box, according to a recent Congressional Research Service (CRS) report. Its hard to tell how much is spent and where the money is going, according to CRS, which reports that agencies tend to have great discretion over how such funds are spent. CRS did estimate that close to a billion dollars was spent on advertising and public relations services contracts in FY 2013 alone, including $892.5 million dollars on advertising services contracts, and another $86.6 million for public relations services. That is all apart from the cost of in-house media relations activities conducted by federal employees. Please provide an Executive Branch-wide total of all spending on advertising, public relations and media relations efforts in FY 2015. Describe the manner in which the Administration categorizes such spending, and a breakdown of how much was spent within each category. Also provide an agency-by-agency accounting of such spending, broken down into the same categories. Describe how messaging activities are categorized, and provide Government-wide and agency by agency totals for spending on messaging activities. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |