Noem Cuts $30 Million In ‘Frivolous’ Homeland Security Spending In Three Weeks
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has already cut more than $30 million in wasteful government spending in less than a month, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed this week.
Between August 22 and September 12, DHS de-obligated $31,692,166 in what it described as “frivolous and unnecessary” grants and contracts — part of President Donald Trump’s aggressive push to eliminate waste and restore accountability across the federal government.
“In just three weeks, Secretary Noem has saved the taxpayer more than $30 million. That’s more than $1 million per DAY,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, it is no longer open season on the American taxpayer at DHS. The Trump administration is draining the swamp, restoring accountability to the federal government, and putting hardworking Americans FIRST again.”
As part of Trump’s reforms, all DHS contracts worth more than $100,000 now require Noem’s direct approval. The policy has already produced historic savings. According to the department, DHS has cut more than $12 billion in waste since Noem took over — averaging nearly $50 million per day in taxpayer savings during the Trump administration.
Officials added that these figures don’t even account for the billions being saved through stepped-up immigration enforcement, deportations, and the removal of illegal aliens from the welfare and entitlement rolls.
According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), illegal immigration costs U.S. taxpayers roughly $150 billion annually when factoring in schooling, health care, food assistance, and other benefits consumed by illegal aliens and their dependents. FAIR found that illegal aliens only cover about 17.2% of those costs through taxes, meaning that for every dollar they pay in, they consume about six dollars in taxpayer-funded services.
The Trump administration has pledged to use new resources provided under the Big, Beautiful Bill to accelerate deportations and further reduce the financial burden illegal immigration places on American citizens.
By cutting waste, holding government accountable, and ramping up enforcement, Trump and Noem are underscoring their commitment to putting the interests of the American taxpayer above the Washington bureaucracy.