CNN has reviewed invoices revealing that tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars funded hair, makeup, and a horse for an advertisement featuring outgoing Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at Mount Rushmore.
According to invoices provided to CNN on Monday by a DHS subcontractor, the Strategy Group (responsible for the ad’s production), taxpayers covered a $20,000 charge for a South Dakota barrel racer and almost $4,000 for hair and makeup. These invoices were supplied by the subcontractor following a request from Senators Peter Welch and Richard Blumenthal.
When Noem assumed the role of DHS secretary last year, she committed to eliminating wasteful expenditures within her department. She implemented stringent cost-cutting measures and exercised tight financial control over the nation’s federal disaster management agency.
However, concurrently, DHS allocated excessive funds to advertising campaigns heavily featuring Noem. This was part of a larger departmental advertising initiative exceeding $200 million, a cost that prompted numerous inquiries from lawmakers during two congressional hearings held this month.
During an interrogation by Republican Senator John Kennedy, Noem asserted that President Donald Trump had authorized the expenditures. Trump, however, denied this claim, and soon after her statement, the president declared her departure from DHS by month’s end. Markwayne Mullin was chosen by Trump as Noem’s successor, and the Oklahoma senator anticipates a Senate confirmation vote potentially as early as Monday evening.
When CNN sought a comment, DHS issued a statement that avoided direct mention of the specific costs but clarified that the department “cannot and does not determine, control or weigh in on who contractors hire or use to fulfill the terms of the contract.”
The invoices provided to CNN revealed that the Strategy Group — led by the husband of Noem’s previous top spokesperson — incurred over $100,000 in labor expenses and a $60,000 “signing bonus” for the ad’s creation. An additional $50,000 went towards videography, photography, and other production services.
“I perceive this as waste, fraud, and abuse,” stated Welch. He added, “During her leadership at the Department of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem and her executive staff permitted tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars to be squandered on extravagant production expenses, a questionable signing bonus, and a highly-priced horse — and this is merely what has been uncovered to date.”
CNN has contacted the Strategy Group for their input. The company has previously challenged Welch and Blumenthal’s assertions, claiming they misrepresented the advertisement’s expenditures.
Filmed in October, the minute-long advertisement depicts Noem on a chestnut horse, clad in a cowboy hat and chaps, with Mount Rushmore as the backdrop. In the ad, the former South Dakota governor remarks, “Why do I love these wide-open spaces? They remind me of why our forefathers came here. Not just for its beauty, but for the freedom only America provides.”
The commercial blends key historical American events with visuals of Trump, even featuring footage from his July 2024 assassination attempt. Noem’s voiceover pledges to safeguard American freedoms and detain undocumented immigrants.
“However, if you arrive through proper channels,” she states near the ad’s conclusion, “your American dream can be as vast as these boundless skies.”
Additional details have been added to this report.