Taxpayers spent thousands on hair, makeup and horses for Noem's DHS ad
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/03/24/kristi-noem-homeland-security-ad-cost/89301114007/?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
Updated March 24, 2026, 5:02 p.m. ET
U.S. taxpayer dollars covered more than $286,000 on production costs for an anti-immigration ad featuring then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, according to expenses revealed by two lawmakers.
Also, The Strategy Group, a Trump-allied subcontractor that created the $220 million commercial, spent more than $107,000 on labor costs, received a $60,000 "signing bonus" to produce the ad, and another $20,000 on horse rentals, Democratic Sens. Peter Welch of Vermont and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut disclosed on March 23 as part of their ongoing investigation into the no-bid contract ad campaign.
In the spot filmed in October 2025, Noem, a former South Dakota governor, appears on horseback at Mount Rushmore, strongly pleading with undocumented immigrants to leave the United States. The senators said the subcontractor also spent more than $52,000 on videography, photography and production vendors and nearly $4,000 on hair and makeup.
"This looks like waste, fraud, and abuse to me," Welch said in a statement the senators released as they provided initial financial breakdowns of Noem's ad. "While leading the Department of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem and her senior team allowed tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars to be spent on wasteful production costs, a shady signing bonus, and a very expensive horse rental – and that’s just what we know so far."................
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