Kristi Noem’s Expenses Raise Eyebrows Among Republicans in Her Home State

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, while serving as South Dakota governor, billed state taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars for travel as she campaigned for President Donald Trump, a move that has drawn criticism from fellow Republicans, according to the Associated Press.

Newsweek has reached out to the South Dakota Republican Party and the Department of Homeland Security on behalf of Noem for comment via email on Saturday.

Why It Matters

The Trump administration has vowed to slash federal spending, root out waste, fraud and abuse, and cut taxes through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Republicans have supported the agenda, repeatedly pledging to return more money to taxpayers.

Noem heads the DHS, which she has said needs more funds to carry out Trump’s mass deportation plans, the largest in U.S. history. However, her previous fiscal actions have drawn scrutiny from members of her own state party.

What To Know

A lawsuit filed last month by The Dakota Scout revealed Noem’s travel receipts for when she was governor, which the Associated Press analyzed and found included over $150,000 in expenses unrelated to state business, such as covering personal and political trips like visits to Trump in Palm Beach, Florida, ahead of last year’s election.

The Scout, a media outlet in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, filed the lawsuit against state auditor Rich Sattgast in September, seeking to gain access to Noem’s state-issued credit card receipts.

Much of her travel was related to various political appearances in a private capacity, such as speaking at conservative events or Trump rallies, rather than state-related business.

During her time as governor, South Dakota covered more than $640,000 in travel-related expenses for Noem’s office, with most costs incurred as her national profile grew alongside Trump’s. At the time, she did not reveal her expenses to taxpayers.

A significant portion of the money went towards security for the governor, regardless of the travel’s purpose.

Some South Dakota Republicans are upset by the large expenses, such as former Republican South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard who told the AP that the spending “offends a lot of people.”

Another state Republican, state Senator Taffy Howard told the AP that “it seems like an incredible amount of money.”

The AP reported that South Dakota has relatively lax disclosure requirements for travel expenses, and top state officials from both parties have used state funds to cover them.

What People Are Saying

Tim Murtaugh, a spokesperson for Noem, said in an email to the AP: “They [Democratic governors] maintained aggressive political schedules on behalf of Kamala Harris but somehow escape media attention for costs associated with that, while Kristi Noem is being held to a different standard?”

Relating to security costs, he said: “Unfortunately, bad guys tend to make threats against high-profile public officials. When it was a political or personal trip, she paid for her own travel out of her political or personal funds.”

Jenna Latham, a supervisor in the state auditor’s office, wrote to AP in an email: “Spending for security detail, as well as where and when they are deemed necessary, falls under the discretion of the governor.”

What Happens Next?

The parties reached a settlement in the lawsuit earlier this year, which lead to the release of over a thousand transactions from Noem’s office.

Reporting from the Associated Press contributed to this article.