Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has reportedly now slashed more than $30 million in what the department described as “frivolous and unnecessary” government grants and contracts in just the past three weeks, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed.
Between August 22 and September 12, the department de-obligated $31,692,166 in spending, part of a broader push by President Donald J. Trump to eliminate wasteful government programs and restore fiscal accountability.
“In just three weeks, Secretary Noem has saved the taxpayer more than $30 million. That’s more than $1 million per DAY,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “Under President 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.”
The savings are the latest milestone in a record of budgetary reductions. According to DHS, the department has saved more than $12 billion since Ms. Noem assumed leadership — a figure officials say translates to approximately $50 million in savings per day during the Trump administration.
To further tighten oversight, all department contracts worth more than $100,000 now require the secretary’s direct approval, a policy shift that officials credit with curbing longstanding abuses.
The department also highlighted a second source of savings: stepped-up immigration enforcement.
While the recent cuts reflect eliminated contracts and grants, officials said deportations of illegal immigrants are yielding additional fiscal benefits.
“These savings figures don’t even include the additional savings from DHS’s immigration enforcement efforts since President Trump resumed office,” the department said.
The costs of illegal immigration have become a central talking point for the administration. A recent estimate from the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) places the annual net cost of illegal immigration at $150.7 billion.
The report cites expenses such as schooling, health care, and food assistance for illegal immigrants, while noting that taxes paid by this population cover only 17.2 percent of the costs they create. “For every dollar in taxes paid by illegal aliens, they and their dependents consume six dollars in benefits and services,” the organization found.
The Trump administration has framed these numbers as evidence of an unfair burden on American taxpayers. Officials argue that robust enforcement and deportation policies will not only secure the border but also reduce pressure on public schools, hospitals, and social safety nets.
Looking ahead, the administration plans to use resources from the recently enacted “Big, Beautiful Bill” to accelerate deportation efforts.
Officials say the law’s funding provisions will ensure DHS can sustain the dual mission of cutting waste in Washington and protecting American taxpayers from the mounting costs of illegal immigration.
For Ms. Noem, the cuts are meant to signal that Homeland Security is no longer a department willing to rubber-stamp spending requests. “The era of unchecked bureaucratic expansion is over,” one official said.
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