‘All This Corruption’: Noem Thought She Left Her Biggest Scandal Behind in Washington — Then a House Democrat Dragged It Right Back Into the Middle of a New Fight
As House Republicans approved another $70 billion for immigration enforcement, Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon used the debate to raise a different question.
Instead of focusing solely on border security, the Pennsylvania Democrat asked why Congress should approve more money when concerns about corruption inside the Department of Homeland Security — including spending controversies surrounding former Secretary Kristi Noem — remain unresolved.
That confrontation captured the broader fight now unfolding in Washington after Republicans pushed through additional funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol.
While supporters say the money is necessary to sustain Trump’s immigration crackdown, critics such as Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon argue Congress is surrendering oversight and giving executive agencies unprecedented resources despite concerns about transparency, spending, and enforcement tactics.
The criticism was not limited to ICE’s growing budget. During the debate, Scanlon pointed to Noem’s $220 million taxpayer-funded advertising campaign promoting Trump’s immigration agenda, accusing Republicans of railing against government waste while rewarding politically connected allies.
“This administration has turned DHS’s contracting into an open-air patronage system,” Scanlon said.
“Companies that spent years pouring money into Republican campaigns and Trump-aligned political operations stand poised to make billions more from this legislation. Politically connected contractors and allies of former Secretary Noem have already cashed in.”
“How many well-connected consultants and contractors are going to get rich off this bill?” she asked. “While all this corruption and fraud happens in broad daylight, Republicans continue to ignore the actual problems facing the American people.”
Scanlon argued that Congress was preparing to hand over billions more public dollars before fully accounting for money already spent.
Previously, lawmakers revealed that millions in government contracts went to companies connected to Republican strategists, with some firms receiving large commissions despite limited involvement.
The controversy deepened when it emerged that Noem had approved a $60,000 signing bonus for herself while the ad campaign, featuring Noem on horseback in front of Mount Rushmore, became a symbol of what critics described as misplaced priorities and questionable spending decisions.
Nevertheless, the House approved the latest measure by a razor-thin 214-212 vote before Trump signed it into law last Wednesday, ending a months-long standoff over immigration funding.
The legislation provides billions for hiring, training and equipping immigration agents, expanding enforcement operations, border technology and grants tied to local immigration enforcement efforts.
The funding package arrived on top of a previous surge of money approved last year, leaving ICE with resources that critics say far exceed its traditional annual budget. Normally funded at roughly $10 billion per year, the agency has now received several large infusions that will carry operations through the remainder of Trump’s term.
Scanlon emerged as one of the bill’s most outspoken opponents, arguing that Congress should have used the funding battle to force reforms rather than reward agencies she believes have operated without sufficient accountability.
In a statement following the vote, Scanlon blasted Republicans for approving another $70 billion for immigration enforcement while rejecting Democratic efforts to increase oversight, arguing lawmakers were expanding funding for agencies she described as increasingly abusive instead of focusing on healthcare and the rising cost of living..
The legislation funds immigration enforcement agencies through the end of Trump’s current term rather than relying on the traditional annual appropriations process. Critics say that structure reduces Congress’s ability to revisit spending decisions or impose new oversight requirements in future years.
Republicans, meanwhile, argued the funding was necessary to maintain immigration enforcement operations and secure the border after years of record migrant crossings.
House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington defended the package before the vote, saying, “We’re attempting here to fund ICE and CBP at last year’s operating budget plus inflation, that’s all we’re talking about here. This is not a slush fund, it’s regular, normal funding. And we’re going to do it not for one year, but for three years so we don’t end up here again.”
The debate quickly spilled onto social media, where reactions reflected the deep partisan divide surrounding immigration policy.
One commenter pushed back against Democratic criticism by writing, “You forgot the part where Trump is cleaning up the mess Biden and the Dems made by allowing all of the illegal immigration to happen in the first place.”
Another questioned Scanlon’s claims, posting, “There is just so much wrong with your statement I dont even know where to start. Do you even understand government and its laws? It becoming apparent that you dont. Maybe some research before posting and quit going off dems bullet points because they are not true.”