Norton Pushes Bill to End Federal Ad Discrimination

October 21, 2025

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) has introduced the Federal Government Advertising Equity Accountability Act to address disparities in federal advertising contracts. The legislation would require all federal agencies to publicly disclose their spending on advertising contracts with small, disadvantaged businesses and those owned by women and minorities.

Who is affected

Small, disadvantaged businesses
Women-owned media companies
Minority-owned media companies
Black-owned businesses and media outlets
Federal agencies that manage advertising contracts
Communities served by minority and women-owned media outlets

What action is being taken

Del. Norton is introducing the Federal Government Advertising Equity Accountability Act
The House Appropriations Committee is already informally requiring similar disclosures from many agencies
GAO is conducting ongoing analysis and reporting on federal advertising contract distribution
Norton and other Democratic lawmakers are calling on the federal government to address inequities in advertising spending

Why it matters

The federal government is one of the largest advertisers in the United States with $14.9 billion spent on advertising from 2014-2023
Only $2.1 billion (15%) of these contracts went to small, disadvantaged businesses and those owned by minorities and women
Black-owned businesses received only $256 million (21%) of the $1.2 billion allocated to minority-owned firms
Black-owned media reportedly received less than $10 million of the total $14.9 billion spent
The bill would create transparency and accountability in federal advertising spending
Smaller media outlets serving specific communities would have more equitable access to federal contracts

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: The Washington Informer