Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has cancelled $31.7 million in government contracts and grants since Aug. 22.
Noem reviews and approves or disapproves all U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) contracts totaling more than $100,000.
“In just three weeks, Secretary Noem has saved the taxpayer more than $30 million,” Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary, said. “That’s more than $1 million per day. Under President (Donald) 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.”
Since Jan. 25, Noem has cancelled more than $12 billion in government contracts and grants. Many of the cuts were Biden administration programs that promoted diversity, equity and inclusion or benefited the LGBTQ community.
It costs federal, state, and local governments at least $150.7 billion annually to deal with illegal immigration, according to the Federation for American Immigration Reform. This is an average annual cost of $8,776 per illegal immigrant or U.S.-born child of illegal immigrants. The DHS says an additional $14 billion in cost savings annually have resulted from an estimated 1.6 million decrease in illegal aliens in the United States.