President Donald Trump personally instructed his budget director to use taxpayer money for television advertisements praising him and his presidency, according to a report by The New York Times. The directive set in motion a $20 million contract that used funds from the Department of Homeland Security, according to people familiar with the matter.

"Mr. Trump was eager to see the laudatory ads on the air and told Russell T. Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, to come up with the money from within the government," government sources told the Times.

Sources added that Mark Paoletta, the budget office's counsel, and Will Scharf, the White House counsel, both concluded it would be legal to use D.H.S. funds. The president and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles also spoke with homeland security secretarywayne Mullin about the ads. Those legal conclusions carry weight because federal appropriations acts have for decades barred agencies from using public money for publicity or propaganda purposes not authorized by Congress.

The spots have aired in expensive time slots on Fox News, CNN and MS Now, during football games on Fox, and alongside national newscasts on CBS, ABC and NBC — including "Meet the Press," a program the Times noted Trump is known to watch. Sports windows and network evening newscasts rank among the most expensive ad inventory on American television.

It remains unclear why taxpayer funds, rather than money from Trump's substantial super PAC, were used for the campaign. Government sources told NBC News that Trump did not even alert administrators that their budgets would be footing the bill. Super PACs may raise unlimited sums from individuals but must operate independently of the politicians they support.

The White House has characterized the ads as public service announcements and defended them as appropriate because they contain no "call to action" urging votes for any candidate. Aides have also argued that Trump is not currently running for office, in an attempt to blunt criticism that the ads violate federal laws governing the use of public money.

Critics counter that the spots amount to little more than ego soothing, likely at a time when Trump knows he is personally sinking in national polls.

When pressed by a reporter on Wednesday, the Times pointed out that Trump said: "If somebody said that that's wrong, I'll gladly pay the money."

More taxpayer-funded spots appear to be on the way, according to CNN. New information reveals the Trump administration has created at least 13 campaign-style ads as part of its controversial, multi-million-dollar taxpayer-funded effort to promote the president. Yet-to-be-aired spots include a trio of ads highlighting Trump's military operations in Iran and Venezuela. One of the ads is called "God Made Trump," and another recaps the UFC fight Trump hosted at the White House. Whether the remaining spots reach the air — and whether any oversight body examines the funding arrangement — are the questions the reporting leaves open.