As funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is set to expire Saturday, renewed attention is falling on Secretary Kristi Noem's personal finances.
Newsweek has reached out to the White House press team for comment via email on Friday.
Congress must pass DHS funding by the end of the week to avoid a shutdown of the federal department. Democrats are pushing for new limits on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations amid growing scrutiny about their tactics, but Republicans have supported a clean funding bill. The Congressional standoff follows the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis last month.
President Donald Trump's administration has faced growing scrutiny over its hardline approach to immigration over recent weeks. ICE funding has become a sticking point for lawmakers amid concerns and criticisms about the agency's tactics following the fatal shootings, which has become the center of the administration's enforcement.
Lawmakers averted a longer shutdown at the end of January by agreeing to a two-week extension on DHS funding. But as that deadline approaches, a shutdown appears more likely as Democrats and Republicans are struggling to reach an agreement on ICE funding.
Many figures in Trump's orbit have significant personal wealth, including Noem, though her reported assets fall far below the level of billionaires such as Elon Musk.
The former South Dakota governor is estimated to have a net worth around $5 million, according to Forbes.
A December 2024 financial disclosure shows her husband, Byron Noem's, insurance company is a significant stream of income, which lists it around $1.135 million. Byron reportedly disputed the valuation of Noem Insurance, which was $1 to $5 million, to Forbes. The DHS secretary also reports holding shares in several broad-market index and balanced mutual funds.
The author of two books, she noted her advances between $40,000 and $140,000. According to a disclosure reviewed by Newsweek last May, her other assets include cash savings of $265,000 at the time of the disclosure, along with livestock and equipment of up to $100,000.
Noem has also been photographed with high-end items, such as a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona watch, which ProPublica notes is around $50,000. Her personal wealth made headlines last year when her purse was stolen with $3,000 in cash.
In 2017, OpenSecrets reported Noem had an estimated net worth of $2.3 million, with significant investments in insurance and energy industries.
A DHS spokesperson previously told Newsweek the department's "essential missions and functions will continue as they do during every shutdown."
However, the shutdown means "many employees will be forced to work without pay, putting strain on the frontline defenders of our nation," the spokesperson added.
During a recent 43-day long shutdown, which impacted all parts of the federal government and not just the DHS, Noem gave Transportation Security Agency (TSA) officers $10,000 bonus for "above and beyond service" during the shutdown.
The funding lapse will hit affiliates of the DHS, including ICE, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and TSA. The agencies will determine which employees will be classified as "essential" and continue to work during the shutdown, which often means they will not be getting paid until later. Around 270,000 people that are employed by DHS are deemed essential, according to the Associated Press.
Congress must pass DHS funding by the end of the day on Friday to avoid a shutdown of the department.