Senators Disclose $200K in Costs for Noem DHS Ad Campaign

Democratic senators disclosed on Monday that more than $200,000 in taxpayer funds went toward production costs for a Department of Homeland Security advertisement campaign featuring former Secretary Kristi Noem riding horseback in front of Mount Rushmore. The $220 million initiative, aimed at urging undocumented immigrants to self-deport or face enforcement, drew scrutiny after Noem's dismissal by President Donald Trump earlier this month.

The revelations came from Senators Peter Welch of Vermont and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who obtained invoices from The Strategy Group, an Ohio-based firm subcontracted to produce parts of the campaign. According to the documents, the company billed $286,137 overall, including a $60,000 signing bonus, $107,405 in labor costs, $52,599 for videography and production vendors, and $42,853 for other services. Specific line items included $20,000 for horse rentals over two days in October 2024, covering transportation and boarding, and nearly $3,800 for hair and makeup services provided by multiple stylists.

The Department of Homeland Security awarded a $143 million no-bid contract in February 2025 to Safe America Media, a company...