Was the Noem ad campaign at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) awarded without a normal competition? Largely yes. The Associated Press reported that DHS invoked “an unusual and compelling urgency” at the border to skip full bidding on its “Stronger Borders” ads in early 2025, and federal records cited by ProPublica and NBC News put the two main awards at $143 million and $77 million. Several claims built on that record are weaker, though, including that most of the money went to a firm run by the husband of Noem’s spokesperson, and that Trump personally approved the spending.
Where it stands: On June 3, Secretary Markwayne Mullin told a House committee that DHS had canceled most Noem-era contracts not yet signed, and that the inspector general had “multiple active investigations,” Reuters reported. No findings had been published as of Oct. 26, 2026, and no charges related to the ads had been reported.
What DHS, Noem, Trump and the firms say
DHS told ProPublica it does its contracting “by the book” and that career officials run the process. It added: “It is very sad that Pro Publica would seek to defame these public servants.” Asked why it chose Safe America Media, DHS said: “The results speak for themselves: the most secure border in American history and over 2 million illegal aliens exiting the United States.” It also said: “DHS has no involvement with the selection of subcontractors.”
Then-spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told ProPublica: “We don’t have visibility into why they were chosen.” On her husband’s firm she said: “I don’t know who they’re a subcontractor with, but I don’t work with them because I have a conflict of interest and I fully recused myself.”
Noem told senators the process was proper: “We went through the legal processes. Did it correctly.” Reuters reported she said it was competitive and involved no political appointees. Trump told NBC News: “I wasn’t thrilled with it. I spent less money than that to become president. I didn’t know about it.”
A lawyer for Safe America Media, Joseph Folio, told POLITICO the company “submitted a proposal for and was awarded a contract to support DHS’s nationwide public awareness campaign, and committed substantial resources to meet an accelerated timeline on budget.” He added: “We look forward to providing additional information to address inaccuracies in the public reporting and ensure the record accurately reflects the scope and context of that work.” People Who Think did not respond to ProPublica.
Eight Noem ad campaign claims against the record
| Claim | Verdict | What the record shows |
|---|---|---|
| Noem’s DHS ad campaign cost $220 million and went to a few firms (tracker headline) | Accurate as reported | $143 million to Safe America Media, $77 million to People Who Think |
| The contracts were no-bid | Partly accurate | DHS skipped full competition citing urgency; its memo calls it “limited competition” |
| The lead firm was created days before the award | Accurate as reported | ProPublica; Sen. Kennedy said 11 days |
| Most of the money went to the spokesperson’s husband’s firm | Not supported by the record | The Strategy Group says it was paid $226,137.17 as a subcontractor |
| Ads ran through firms tied to Trump’s campaigns | Accurate as reported | POLITICO: some ads were placed via a key Trump 2024 ad buyer |
| Trump approved the spending | Disputed | Noem testified yes; Trump said he did not know |
| The campaign got Noem fired | Partly accurate | An official cited it among several reasons; Trump framed it differently |
| The inspector general is investigating | Accurate as reported | CNN’s sources; the OIG neither confirms nor denies |
The money and the competition question
The $220 million total is the sum of two lines in federal records. ProPublica reported that People Who Think, a Louisiana Republican ad firm, “has been awarded $77 million,” and that $143 million went to Safe America Media, a Delaware company that “was created just days before it was awarded the deal.” Bloomberg reported a somewhat higher campaign total, which we could not match to contract records.
Whether to call it “no-bid” depends on the definition. Sens. Peter Welch and Richard Blumenthal wrote that Safe America Media “signed a no-bid contract worth $143 million,” NBC reported. DHS’s own justification, quoted by ProPublica, argued that “Any delay in providing these critical communications to the public will increase the spread of misinformation, especially misinformation by smugglers.” POLITICO, citing an internal DHS memo, said the department described the process as “limited competition.” That is narrower than full and open bidding, but not the same as a sole-source award.
Sen. John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, said at a March hearing that Safe America Media “was formed just 11 days before being awarded the nearly $143 million contract,” Reason reported.
Who actually got paid
The claim that the husband of Noem’s spokesperson received most of the money is the most overstated. ProPublica first reported that the Strategy Group, run by McLaughlin’s husband Ben Yoho, did undisclosed subcontract work. Kennedy went further at the hearing, saying most of the money flowed to that firm. The Strategy Group then released its own figure: “Safe America paid us $226,137.17 total for 5 film shoots, 45 produced video advertisements and 6 produced radio advertisements.” We found no record contradicting that number.
The bigger sums went elsewhere. POLITICO, citing a DHS memo, reported that the two prime contractors “received at least $23 million in commissions,” including “at least $15.2 million” for Safe America Media and “at least $7.7 million” for People Who Think. ProPublica notes that most money in ad contracts typically goes to buying airtime. POLITICO also reported that Safe America Media placed ads through Strategic Media Services, “which received more than $269 million from Trump’s campaign in 2024, according to FEC records.” The memo said the commission rates were “below the industry norm of 15 percent.”
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ProPublica also reported that the funding office was DHS Public Affairs, then led by McLaughlin. Whether any official benefited personally is the question Democratic senators put to the firms. NBC noted those senators “may not compel answers or testimony” because Democrats are in the minority.
Did Trump approve it, and did it cost Noem her job?
The two accounts conflict. Kennedy asked: “The president approved ahead of time you spending $220 million running TV ads across the country in which you are featured prominently?” Noem answered “Yes, sir,” AP reported. Trump’s later comment to NBC, quoted above, said the opposite. Kennedy told CNN, according to AP: “Her version and the president’s version of whether the president, A) was informed and B) consented are decidedly different.”
On the firing, AP reported: “An administration official said the ad campaign, along with other “many unfortunate leadership failures” such as fallout from the immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota and mismanagement of her staff, led to her firing.” Trump struck a different note to NBC: “She’s a fine person. She did a good job. I’m a big fan of the senator from Oklahoma. It wasn’t a hard choice.” Noem was moved to a special envoy post. Her tenure drew other disputes too, such as the TSA PreCheck shutdown fight.
The inspector general review
Welch says he asked the DHS inspector general to investigate on Nov. 19, 2025, and that the office replied in January that the request went to its audit planners. CNN later reported, citing two sources, that the inspector general “has launched a sprawling investigation into how contracts have been solicited and handled, including the involvement of former Secretary Kristi Noem and her de facto chief of staff Corey Lewandowski.” The OIG told CNN it “does not confirm or deny the existence of an investigation,” and CNN said it was “not clear which specific contracts” were covered.
A DHS spokesperson told Reuters in June that Mullin “re-evaluated the contract processes to make sure DHS is serving the American taxpayer efficiently.” Mullin said already-signed contracts could not easily be ended. A separate Noem-era matter, the reported purchase of jets from a company owned by a Noem donor, is checked in our DHS planes fact check, and both items are logged on our Trump corruption tracker, where the ad contracts carry an under-investigation status.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did Kristi Noem’s DHS ad campaign cost?
About $220 million, combining $143 million awarded to Safe America Media and $77 million to People Who Think, according to ProPublica, NBC News and AP. Bloomberg reported a somewhat higher total.
Was the Noem ad campaign a no-bid contract?
Partly. DHS skipped a fully competitive process by citing urgency at the border, AP reported. Democratic senators call the awards no-bid, while a DHS memo described a limited competition. Noem testified the process was legal.
Did the Strategy Group get most of the DHS ad money?
The record does not show that. The Strategy Group, run by the husband of former DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, said it was paid $226,137.17 as a subcontractor. POLITICO reported the two prime contractors earned at least $23 million in commissions.
Is the DHS inspector general investigating Noem’s ad campaign?
CNN reported in March 2026, citing two sources, that the inspector general opened a broad investigation into DHS contracting under Noem and Corey Lewandowski. The OIG does not confirm investigations, and no findings had been published by late October 2026.
Sources
- Kristi Noem-Tied Firm Secretly Got Piece of $220 Million DHS Campaign — ProPublica, November 2025 (updated March 4, 2026)
- A $220 million ad blitz and a public split with Trump mark the end of Kristi Noem’s DHS tenure — The Associated Press (via News4Jax), March 6, 2026
- Democrats are probing companies awarded a $220 million ad contract for ties to Noem, Lewandowski — NBC News, March 2026
- Trump says he ‘wasn’t thrilled’ with Kristi Noem’s $220M ad campaign — NBC News (via NBC4 Washington), March 2026
- DHS Spent $220 Million on Ads Featuring Kristi Noem. Both Parties Grilled Her About It in the Senate. — Reason, March 4, 2026
- Political operatives with Trump ties raked in millions of dollars in commissions from DHS ad campaign — POLITICO (via Yahoo News), March 2026
- DHS internal watchdog launches investigation into handling of contracts under Noem, Lewandowski — CNN, March 26, 2026
- US Homeland Security cancels most pending Noem-era contracts after review — Reuters (via WSAU), June 3, 2026
- Welch, Blumenthal Ask IG if DHS, White House Attempted to Block Reported Investigation into Noem’s Ad Campaign — Office of Sen. Peter Welch, March 2026
This article is news reporting and analysis based on the public sources listed above, as they stood on the dates shown. Where officials, lawmakers or analysts disagree, including on whether an action is lawful, their positions are attributed to them; Donald Trump Class Action is not a court and nothing here is legal advice. Facts in a developing story can change.