Welch requested answers from DHS about Noem’s authorization of multiple no-bid contracts to firms close to her and her advisors
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called on the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to investigate Secretary Kristi Noem’s recent awards of multiple no bid contracts as part of a $220 million ad campaign to firms with which she and her senior advisors have personal ties. Senator Welch asked Inspector General Joseph Cuffari to investigate and provide answers on Secretary Noem’s use of a “national emergency” to issue these taxpayer-funded contracts.
“Between February and August 2025, DHS awarded $143 million in no bid contracts to a company called Safe America Media, which was incorporated 11 days before the initial contract solicitation. In October, Safe America Media was contracted to help DHS produce a commercial—filmed during the government shutdown—featuring Secretary Noem on horseback at Mount Rushmore,” wrote Senator Welch. “Although not identified in public contracting disclosures, according to public reporting, a firm called Strategy Group was engaged by Safe America Media to produce the ad at Mount Rushmore.”
“This is not the first time the Department has used the claim of a ‘national emergency’ to issue no bid contract awards. Earlier this year, DHS invoked the measure to skip a competitive bidding process for an ad featuring Secretary Noem thanking President Trump. One of the firms contracted for the ad, People Who Think, LLC, is headed by Jay Connaughton, a former Trump campaign advisor. Connaughton worked with Lewandowski, Noem’s chief advisor, on Jeff Landry’s gubernatorial campaign in Louisiana,” continued the Senator. “In June 2025, Secretary Noem announced that she would personally approve all DHS contracts over $100,000.”
The Senator concluded: “These awards call into question whether DHS, under Secretary Noem’s leadership, is fulfilling its obligations under federal procurement laws to consider bids ‘with complete impartiality and with preferential treatment for none.’ In order to understand the extent to which Secretary Noem’s advertising campaign and contract process complies with applicable federal laws and regulations, I request that your office initiate a review of DHS’s contracts associated with advertising campaigns since January 20, 2025.”
Senator Welch requested answers from DHS Inspector General Cuffari to the following questions:
- What is DHS’s process for reviewing bids associated with its advertising campaigns?
- Is this process compliant with federal procurement rules?
- Did Secretary Noem personally review and approve the contracts awarded to Safe America Media or People Who Think, LLC?
- Has DHS awarded any other contracts to Safe America Media or People Who Think, LLC? If so, please provide a list of such contracts and a copy of each contract.
- Does Secretary Noem have any personal or professional relationships with the firms Safe America Media, People Who Think LLC, or their subcontractors? If so, please provide details on their relationship.
- Do any senior personnel at DHS have any personal or professional relationships with the firms Safe America Media, People Who Think LLC, or their subcontractors? If so, please provide a list of those personnel and details on their relationship(s).
- Do any other firms that have been awarded contracts to conduct advertising since January 20, 2025 have any personal or professional relationships with Secretary Noem? If so, please provide a copy of each contract.
- Did Secretary Noem personally review and approve the contract(s) awarded to these other firm(s)?
- Do any of these firms have any personal or professional relationships with senior personnel at DHS? If so, please provide a list of those personnel and details on their relationship.
Read and download the full text of the Senator’s letter to DHS Inspector General Cuffari.
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