Several columnists, some with ties to nonprofits, have recently been the agents of covert propaganda for the Bush administration. An investigation by USA Today revealed that the Department of Education (ED) hired a public relations agency, Ketchum Incorporated, to promote the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). As part of this contract, Ketchum entered into a subcontract to pay Armstrong Williams, a conservative commentator, $240,000, to promote the NCLB. Two more cases of similar actions have surfaced, prompting the Campaign Legal Center to request an investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ). For more than 50 years, annual federal appropriations laws have banned the outlay of appropriated funds on publicity and propaganda unless specifically authorized by Congress. This regulation prohibits covert propaganda that does not identify the government as a source, information intended for Òself-aggrandizementÓ or ÒpufferyÓ and materials that serve a solely partisan purpose. The prohibition reflects the belief that the federal government should not use its resources to influence public opinion in political or policy issues.

The contract between ED and Ketchum says that, ÒKetchum shall arrange for Mr. Williams to regularly comment on NCLB during the course of his broadcasts.Ó And that ÒSecretary (Rod) Paige and other Department officials shall have the option of appearing from time to time as studio guests to discuss NCLB and other important education reform issues.Ó This practice, known as Òpay to play,Ó is a practice generally regarded as unprofessional, unethical and corrupt.

A recent investigation by the Washington Post found that syndicated columnist Maggie Gallagher received a $21,000 contract with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to write positive articles on the presidentÕs $300 million Federal Marriage Initiative.

Gallagher also received an additional $20,000 from a nonprofit organization, the National Fatherhood Initiative, to author a report titled, ÒCan Government Strengthen Marriage?Ó The National Fatherhood Initiative paid for the report using grant money it received from DOJ.

Gallagher publicized the policy, encouraged HHS to implement it, and commissioned polls to contradict other columnists who had found the public was not supportive of the Bush marriage initiative. Although Gallagher has argued that the contact was for specific work, the contract actually does not restrict the variety of activities in which Gallagher could be engaged.

Additionally, columnist Mike McManus received at least $4,000 from HHS for his work in support of the Federal Marriage Initiative. Marriage Savers, a nonprofit organization operated by McManus, received $49,000 from another organization that receives HHS money to promote marriage to unwed couples that are having children.

In both the Gallagher and McManus cases, Wade Horn, Assistant Secretary for Children and Families at HHS, is involved with the nonprofit through which money was funneled. Wade Horn has been in the marriage promotion business for quite some time. He is a co-founder and former president of the National Fatherhood Initiative, which made its national debut in March 1994 with Don Eberly serving as president, Horn as director, and David Blankenhorn as chairman of the board of directors. Eberly is a former White House advisor and civil society scholar who has served as Deputy Assistant to the President for the Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives.

Additionally, Horn is a former board member of Marriage Savers, a nonprofit organization McManus founded in 1996 based in Potomac, MD, who was quoted in at least three columns McManus wrote.

In response, the Campaign Legal Center called on the Department of Justice to determine whether members of the Bush administration have violated federal law by using government-appropriated money to pay columnists to promote administration policies. Additionally, a number of representatives, led by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), have requested a Government Accountability Office examination into the agencyÕs use of covert propaganda.

Although the journalists have apologized, the use of taxpayer money to convince the public of the suitability of a particular policy is a violation of the public trust. Congress and DOJ must act to ensure that the government is spending money on the policies its constituents choose.