Senate Democrats Say Noem’s DHS Ad Cost $286K — $60K “Signing Bonus” and $20K for Horses

Senate Democrats on Monday released an itemized accounting of production costs for a Department of Homeland Security video featuring then-Secretary Kristi Noem, saying the figures show $286,137 in taxpayer-funded expenses and raise questions about spending and transparency.

The disclosure follows President Donald Trump’s recent announcement that Noem would step down as DHS secretary and that Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) would replace her. The personnel change came after a contentious Senate hearing in which lawmakers pressed Noem about the department’s use of funds, including a public-relations campaign highlighting DHS deportation efforts.

Committee members noted that DHS awarded more than $200 million in contracts for the broader ad campaign to firms with ties to Noem — an arrangement that many critics flagged as a potential conflict of interest. Noem has acknowledged knowing the recipients of the contracts; company officials have denied any improper dealings with one another.

Itemized Production Costs

Senators Peter Welch (D-VT) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) released a breakdown of expenses tied to the ad filmed at Mount Rushmore. The line items they provided include:

• $107,405 — Labor costs billed by The Strategy Group Company
• $60,000 — Listed as a "signing bonus" to The Strategy Group Company
• $52,599 — Videography, photography, and production vendors
• $20,000 — Horse rentals
• $3,781 — Hair and makeup services
• $500 — Magic Makers, Inc., a novelty shop based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
• $41,852 — Other vendors

According to the senators’ release, the listed items total $286,137 in taxpayer-funded production costs.

“This looks like waste, fraud, and abuse to me,” Senator Welch said, charging that Noem and senior DHS officials allowed substantial taxpayer funds to be spent on what he described as wasteful production costs, a dubious signing bonus and an expensive horse rental. He urged contractors and subcontractors to be transparent about how the funds were used and whether any DHS personnel benefited.

The lawmakers also said in their letter that The Strategy Group Company — the firm that produced the ads — provided only "partial responses" to earlier document requests. Welch and Blumenthal have opened an inquiry and requested additional materials related to the contracts and payments.

This development is the latest in an ongoing investigation into the contracting decisions and relationships tied to DHS’s advertising campaign. The original story first appeared on Mediaite.