Noem DHS Ad Spent $20K on Horse, $4K on Hair & Makeup: Invoices Reveal
WASHINGTON D.C. – Tens of thousands of dollars in taxpayer funds were allocated to expenses including a horse rental, hair and makeup services, and a “signing bonus” for an advertising campaign featuring former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, according to invoices released Monday and reviewed by CNN.
The invoices, provided to CNN by Senators Peter Welch and Richard Blumenthal, detail payments made to The Strategy Group, a DHS subcontractor responsible for producing the advertisement. The 60-second ad, filmed in October 2025 at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, depicts Noem riding a horse and speaking about American freedom. Taxpayers paid $20,000 to a South Dakota-based barrel racer for the horse, and nearly $4,000 for hair and makeup services, the invoices show.
The broader advertising campaign, costing over $220 million, featured Noem prominently and became a point of contention during congressional hearings earlier this month. During questioning by Senator John Kennedy, Noem stated that President Donald Trump had approved the spending. Trump subsequently denied this claim and announced Noem’s departure from DHS by the end of the month, nominating Markwayne Mullin as her replacement.
Senator Welch, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, characterized the spending as “waste, fraud, and abuse.” “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 exceptionally expensive horse—and that’s just what we realize so far,” Welch said in a statement. Senator Blumenthal, Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, echoed this sentiment, calling the expenditures an “absurd waste” and demanding transparency regarding the use of funds.
The Strategy Group received a $60,000 “signing bonus” and accrued over $100,000 in labor costs, in addition to approximately $50,000 spent on videography, photography, and other production vendors, according to the released invoices. The CEO of The Strategy Group is married to Noem’s former top spokesperson.
DHS responded to CNN’s inquiry with a statement asserting 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 Strategy Group has previously defended its work and accused Welch and Blumenthal of mischaracterizing the ad campaign’s expenses.
The advertisement itself intersperses images of American historical moments with footage of President Trump, including imagery following the July 2024 assassination attempt. Noem vows to protect American freedom and to arrest undocumented immigrants in the ad, stating, “But if you approach here the right way, your American dream can be as big as these endless skies.”
Markwayne Mullin is headed toward an expected Senate confirmation vote as soon as Monday evening, and will likely face the challenge of restoring funding for DHS, which ran out three weeks ago, prompting a partial government shutdown.