"During Noem's appearance before Congress on Tuesday, Senator John Kennedy, among other lawmakers from both sides of the political aisle, pressed Noem about the department's spending of taxpayer dollars, including a $220 million ad contract. The ads, which Noem said were intended to encourage undocumented immigrants to leave the US, included footage of the now-former secretary riding a horse in front of Mount Rushmore while delivering stern messages about border enforcement."
"Lawmakers scrutinized the bidding process for the contracts behind the ad campaign, as well as the firms selected, raising questions about how taxpayer dollars were awarded and spent. In her testimony, Noem defended the ads as "effective" and said President Donald Trump had approved the $220 million in spending. "We went through the legal processes, went through it correctly," she said."
"Trump later disputed that account, telling Reuters on Thursday, "I never knew anything about it." On social media, "The View" host Meghan McCain compared the DHS ad costs to the production budget for "Sinners." The Ryan Coogler-directed movie, which recently set an Oscars record with 16 Academy Award nominations, had an estimated budget of $90 million."
Kristi Noem was removed from her position as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security after facing intense congressional questioning about a $220 million advertising campaign. The ads, designed to encourage undocumented immigrants to leave the US, featured Noem riding a horse at Mount Rushmore. Lawmakers from both parties questioned the bidding process, contractor selection, and overall spending of taxpayer dollars. Noem defended the campaign as effective and claimed President Trump approved the spending, but Trump later denied knowledge of the initiative. The ad campaign's cost exceeded the production budgets of major Hollywood films, including the Oscar-nominated movie "Sinners," which had a $90 million budget.
#dhs-spending #government-accountability #immigration-enforcement #congressional-oversight #taxpayer-funds
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