{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-calls-on-dhs-to-investigate-secretary-noems-220-million-ad-campaign/", "Welch Calls on DHS to Investigate Secretary Noem\u2019s $220 Million Ad Campaign", "2025-11-20", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Welch requested answers from DHS about Noem\u2019s authorization of multiple no-bid contracts to firms close to her and her advisors\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 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\u2019s 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\u2019s use of a \u201cnational emergency\u201d to issue these taxpayer-funded contracts.\n\n\u201cBetween 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\u2014filmed during the government shutdown\u2014featuring Secretary Noem on horseback at Mount Rushmore,\u201d wrote Senator Welch. \u201cAlthough 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.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis is not the first time the Department has used the claim of a \u2018national emergency\u2019 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\u2019s chief advisor, on Jeff Landry\u2019s gubernatorial campaign in Louisiana,\u201d continued the Senator. \u201cIn June 2025, Secretary Noem announced that she would personally approve all DHS contracts over $100,000.\u201d\n\nThe Senator concluded: \u201cThese awards call into question whether DHS, under Secretary Noem\u2019s leadership, is fulfilling its obligations under federal procurement laws to consider bids \u2018with complete impartiality and with preferential treatment for none.\u2019 In order to understand the extent to which Secretary Noem\u2019s advertising campaign and contract process complies with applicable federal laws and regulations, I request that your office initiate a review of DHS\u2019s contracts associated with advertising campaigns since January 20, 2025.\u201d\n\nSenator Welch requested answers from DHS Inspector General Cuffari to the following questions:\n\nWhat is DHS\u2019s process for reviewing bids associated with its advertising campaigns?\n\nIs this process compliant with federal procurement rules?\n\nDid Secretary Noem personally review and approve the contracts awarded to Safe America Media or People Who Think, LLC?\n\nHas 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.\n\nDoes 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.\n\nDo 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).\n\nDo 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.\n\nDid Secretary Noem personally review and approve the contract(s) awarded to these other firm(s)?\n\nDo 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.\n\nRead and download the full text of the Senator\u2019s letter to DHS Inspector General Cuffari.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-calls-on-dhs-to-investigate-secretary-noems-220-million-ad-campaign/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9456630796194077, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}