Congressional Democrats are investigating President Donald Trump’s use of taxpayer money for a recently launched campaign advertisement, putting fresh scrutiny on a government funded message featuring the president. Their central question is blunt: Why are Americans being forced to pay for Trump’s political promotion?

The advertisement is marked “paid for by the U.S. Government” and pairs Trump’s speeches about communism with the song “Love Me.” The song was used without authorization from its artist, JMSN.

The commercial is airing on right wing outlets including Fox News and Newsmax. Rather than resembling ordinary government communication, the advertisement centers Trump and his political messaging while invoking fear about communism.

Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, the highest ranking Democrat on the Senate Joint Economic Committee, has formally sought answers. She sent a letter to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles demanding information about how the advertisement was produced and funded.

Hassan wants the White House to disclose the cost of making the commercial and identify which federal agencies participated in the process. She also requested a justification for the federal government’s role in creating it.

Democrats serving on the House and Senate Appropriations Committees are applying pressure as well. In a separate letter to Wiles, they demanded that the advertisement be pulled rather than continue airing at public expense.

“This is the sort of government propaganda one might expect in North Korea, not the United States of America, and it is an egregious and illegal misuse of Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars,” the lawmakers wrote.

The appropriations committee Democrats also said the advertisement violates longstanding federal law prohibiting government propaganda. Their letter directly challenges the administration’s use of public money for a commercial promoting Trump and his rhetoric.

The letter was signed by Sens. Patty Murray of Washington and Jack Reed of Rhode Island. Reps. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut and Steny Hoyer of Maryland also signed the demand sent to Wiles.

The spending is already substantial, according to the media tracking organization AdImpact. At least $430,000 has been spent to air the advertisement so far, even as lawmakers continue seeking basic answers about its production and the government’s involvement.

The Trump administration is defending the use of taxpayer dollars for the video. It describes the advertisement as “educational and unapologetically patriotic,” a characterization sharply at odds with Democrats’ description of an illegal propaganda campaign.

That dispute leaves two starkly different accounts of the same commercial. The administration portrays it as patriotic education, while Democratic lawmakers say it is government propaganda financed through an egregious misuse of public funds.

The unauthorized use of “Love Me” adds another point of controversy to an advertisement already facing questions about spending and legality. The song plays beneath Trump’s speeches warning about communism, creating the soundtrack for a message being broadcast through Fox News and Newsmax.

The investigation is unfolding as multiple indicators show increased support for Democrats ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. Those indicators threaten the GOP’s congressional majority, adding political stakes to the administration’s decision to spend public money airing Trump’s message.

Democrats are now pressing the White House on the essential details: how much the advertisement cost to produce, which agencies participated, and why the federal government created it. They are also demanding that the administration stop airing it.

For Trump, the commercial provides another platform for his fearmongering speeches about communism, courtesy of taxpayers. For the Democrats investigating it, the advertisement represents something far more serious: public money allegedly being used for government propaganda in violation of federal law.

At least $430,000 has already gone toward putting the commercial on television, and the administration remains unapologetic. With Democrats gaining support before the midterms and the GOP majority in danger, the timing of this taxpayer funded propaganda push is hardly subtle.