Thousands in taxpayer funds spent on horse, hair and makeup expenses for Kristi Noem's Mount Rushmore ad

Source: CNN Politics

Updated Mar 23, 2026, 3:43 PM ET
PUBLISHED Mar 23, 2026, 12:51 PM ET


Tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars were spent on expenses for hair and makeup artists and a horse for the advertisement showcasing outgoing Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in front of Mount Rushmore, according to invoices seen by CNN. Invoices to the Strategy Group, a DHS subcontractor that produced the advertisement, show taxpayers footed a $20,000 bill to a South Dakota-based barrel racer, along with nearly $4,000 for hair and makeup services.

The invoices were sent by the subcontractor in response to a request from Sens. Peter Welch and Richard Blumenthal and shared with CNN on Monday. Upon becoming DHS secretary last year, Noem pledged to root out wasteful spending from her agency. The secretary instituted strict cost-control efforts and tightened her grip on the purse strings of the country’s federal disaster management agency.

But at the same time, DHS spent exorbitant amounts of money on advertising campaigns that featured Noem prominently, part of a broader advertising effort by the department that cost more than $200 million. That spending was the basis of several questions she received from lawmakers during a pair of congressional hearings earlier this month.

Under questioning from Republican Sen. John Kennedy, Noem said President Donald Trump approved the spending. Trump denied doing so, and shortly after Noem made that claim, the president announced she would leave DHS by the end of this month. Trump selected Markwayne Mullin to replace Noem, and the Oklahoma senator is headed toward an expected Senate confirmation vote as soon as Monday evening.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/23/politics/kristi-noem-horse-mount-rushmore-ad