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DHS awards ad contracts to Republican-linked firms under Noem

Reporting and findings

  1. reported

    Reuters reported on March 4, 2026 that DHS had awarded $143 million to Safe America Media and $77 million to People Who Think for an advertising campaign featuring Secretary Kristi Noem. The procurement limited competition to four companies, and Safe America Media had been incorporated about a week before winning its contract.

  2. reported

    Reuters reported that the Strategy Group, run by the husband of outgoing DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, said it received a subcontract payment for the campaign. Noem defended the contracts as legal, and DHS said career government employees oversaw procurement.

Summary and current status

Contract awards reported; procurement defended at congressional hearing

People and organizations

  • Kristi NoemDHS secretary defending her department's advertising procurement

Money trail

  1. commitmentReported awards to People Who Think$77 million
    Reported commitment source
    U.S. Department of Homeland Security
    Reported intended recipient
    People Who Think
    reported · 2026-03-04 · observedRead source record
    Calculation detailsPopulation DHS advertising contract awards to People Who Think reported March 4, 2026Period 2026-03-04 to 2026-03-04Basis Separate recipient-level contract award amount reported by Reuters from federal records; reporting-date snapshot, not an expenditure-period total.Limits Reported award value, not verified cash outlay, contractor profit, personal payment to Noem, or proven taxpayer loss. The two recipient amounts are components of the campaign total; do not add the campaign total again.
  2. commitmentReported awards to Safe America Media$143 million
    Reported commitment source
    U.S. Department of Homeland Security
    Reported intended recipient
    Safe America Media
    reported · 2026-03-04 · observedRead source record
    Calculation detailsPopulation DHS advertising contract awards to Safe America Media reported March 4, 2026Period 2026-03-04 to 2026-03-04Basis Separate recipient-level contract award amount reported by Reuters from federal records; reporting-date snapshot, not an expenditure-period total.Limits Reported award value, not verified cash outlay, contractor profit, personal payment to Noem, or proven taxpayer loss. The two recipient amounts are components of the campaign total; do not add the campaign total again.

Figures

  1. Reported DHS advertising awards to two recipients$220 million
    Calculation details
    Basis
    Observed
    Population
    Reported DHS advertising awards to Safe America Media and People Who Think
    Period
    2026-03-04 to 2026-03-04
    As of
    2026-03-04
    Method
    Metric index of the existing $143m and $77m recipient awards in the Bondi-Noem transport. Sum these two distinct recipients once; this index is not an additional contract or cash payment.
    Uncertainty
    Reported award values, not cash outlays, contractor profit or personal payments. Do not combine this aggregate with its two underlying components.