By Ted Hesson
WASHINGTON, March 4 (Reuters) – U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Wednesday defended the government’s spending of $220 million on an advertising campaign for border security amid questions from lawmakers about the contracting process and Republican-connected firms awarded the money.
During a hearing before a U.S. House of Representatives panel, Representative Joe Neguse, a Democrat from Colorado, grilled Noem over a contracting notice that said the Department of Homeland Security had limited competition to four companies in February 2025, citing an urgent need to stop illegal immigration.
“It is fraud, and ultimately, I think there’s going to be accountability,” Neguse said.
The criticism came after Noem – a top official overseeing President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown – was questioned by both Democrats and Republicans before a Senate panel on Wednesday about the contract and process to select the companies.
The ads produced with the funds prominently featured Noem, including in a scene filmed on horseback at Mount Rushmore in the former South Dakota governor’s home state.
Noem said on Tuesday that the contract was awarded through “a competitive process” and that no political appointees were involved. On Wednesday, she said the contract was “all done correctly, all done legally.”
A DHS spokesperson said on Tuesday that career government employees oversee the procurement process.
The contract was awarded to two companies linked to long-time Republican operatives, records show, details first reported by the Associated Press and ProPublica.
One of the companies, Safe America Media, was incorporated in Delaware a week before winning the contract. The company was awarded $143 million, federal records show.
The second, the Louisiana-based firm People Who Think, was awarded $77 million.
Neither company could be immediately reached for comment.
The Strategy Group, a company run by the husband of outgoing DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, said on Wednesday that it was paid $226,000 as a subcontractor, a small portion of the total.
(Reporting by Ted Hesson in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
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