During a hearing before a U.S. House of Representatives panel, Representative Joe Neguse, a Democrat from Colorado, grilled Noem over a contracting notice that ​said the Department of Homeland Security had limited competition to four ​companies in February 2025, citing an urgent need to stop ⁠illegal immigration.

"It is fraud, and ultimately, I think there's going to be ​accountability," Neguse said.

The criticism came after Noem - a top official overseeing President Donald Trump's ​aggressive immigration crackdown - was questioned by both Democrats and Republicans before a Senate panel on Wednesday about the contract and process to select the companies.

The ads produced with the ​funds prominently featured Noem, including in a scene filmed on horseback at ​Mount Rushmore in the former South Dakota governor's home state.

Noem said on Tuesday that the ‌contract ⁠was awarded through "a competitive process" and that no political appointees were involved. On Wednesday, she said the contract was "all done correctly, all done legally."

A DHS spokesperson said on Tuesday that career government employees oversee the procurement process.

The ​contract was awarded ​to two companies ⁠linked to long-time Republican operatives, records show, details first reported by the Associated Press, opens new tab and ProPublica, opens new tab.

One of the companies, Safe America ​Media, was incorporated in Delaware a week before winning ​the contract. ⁠The company was awarded $143 million, federal records show.

The second, the Louisiana-based firm People Who Think, was awarded $77 million.

Neither company could be immediately reached for comment.

The Strategy ⁠Group, ​a company run by the husband of outgoing ​DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, said on Wednesday that it was paid $226,000 as a subcontractor, a small ​portion of the total

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5841855&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310481#49717473)