A gold cursive sign reading “The Oval Office” affixed beside the door of the presidential workspace has drawn fresh scrutiny as the federal government remains shut down.

The extravagant signage, part of a broader decorative overhaul under President Donald Trump, is unfolding as vital services face disruption and millions of Americans risk losing key benefits.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill voiced sharp criticism.

Representative Malcolm Kenyatta of Pennsylvania wrote on X that “this sign looks like shit,” adding that “43 million Americans don’t have access to SNAP [the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program] and are weeks away from health-care costs exploding even more.” Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware echoed the sentiment: “I wish they would focus on helping struggling Americans, but this isn’t a good sign.” The criticism comes as the shutdown has forced a reduction to roughly half the normal monthly SNAP distribution.

The sign forms part of an ostentatious re-imagining of the Oval Office and wider White House grounds by the Trump administration — including the dramatic demolition of the East Wing to make way for a new ballroom and lavish gold-accented interior furnishings.

A recent poll found that more than half of Americans disapprove of such renovations during the shutdown.

Representative Jared Moskowitz of Florida offered a sardonic take: “Good, new signage means he won’t knock it down.” Meanwhile, Governor Gavin Newsom of California took aim via his communications team, posting an edited image that replaced the cursive lettering with the phrase “Live, laugh, LOSE.”

The timing of the sign’s appearance has amplified its political resonance: while federal workers and beneficiaries wait for resolution of the funding stalemate, the White House appears to be pressing ahead with aesthetic upgrades.

As the shutdown extends, the debate is shifting less around policy details and more around priorities, symbolism and the optics of leadership at a moment of fiscal impasse.