Congressman Joe Neguse (D-CO) sharply questioned Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem Wednesday over a $220 million Department of Homeland Security (DHS) advertising campaign, raising concerns about how the contract was awarded and who benefited from it.
During a House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing, Neguse focused on the department’s high-profile marketing campaign aimed at deterring illegal immigration. The ads, which featured Noem in locations including Mount Rushmore, were funded through contracts with two vendors.
Neguse said one of those vendors—Safe America Media—received roughly $143 million of the total funding. He noted that in her testimony before the Senate the previous day, Noem said the contract had gone through a “competitive bidding process.”
Pressing the issue, Neguse argued that characterization was inaccurate. He pointed to federal procurement records indicating the department approved the contract under a “justification and approval for other than full and open competition,” meaning the usual competitive bidding process was bypassed.
Noem acknowledged the contract had been issued as a no-bid arrangement but said multiple vendors had the opportunity to review and participate in the work.
Neguse countered that the department had limited the pool to four companies out of the hundreds of thousands operating in the United States. He pointed out that Safe America Media had little public footprint and appeared to be connected to a political operative in Virginia.
According to Neguse, the firm had never previously performed work for the federal government and was incorporated only eight days before the contract was issued.
“You want the American people to believe that this is all above board?” Neguse asked, questioning why $143 million in taxpayer money would be directed to a newly created company with no apparent government contracting history.
Neguse Calls Out Noem For Fraud, Says There Will Be Accountability
Neguse also raised concerns about potential political ties connected to the campaign’s subcontractors and noted that DHS’s inspector general is currently pursuing multiple investigations involving the department.
Noem rejected the criticism and defended the advertising campaign as both legal and effective. She said the program was executed properly and argued the ads produced “14 billion impressions,” reaching audiences in the United States and in several countries where migrants have originated.
According to Noem, the campaign was “overwhelmingly effective,” claiming that it somehow discouraged illegal migration by convincing people considering entering the country unlawfully to reconsider.
Neguse dismissed that explanation, accusing the department of misusing taxpayer money for a campaign centered on promoting the secretary herself. He stated that the contract raised serious questions about procurement rules and potential conflicts of interest. “You’re using millions of dollars of taxpayer money in this way,” Neguse stated. “It is fraud, and ultimately I think there’s going to be accountability”
