Gavin Newsom is demanding that the remaining funds spent by “Kosplay Kristi” Noem on a controversial $220 million “vanity” ad campaign be rerouted to help victims of last year’s devastating Los Angeles wildfires.
Noem was fired by President Donald Trump earlier this week from her role as Homeland Security Secretary after mounting scrutiny. She has faced criticism for military-style immigration operations across multiple states, DHS’s purchase of multiple luxury jets for staff, major reductions in FEMA staff, and her rumored affair with adviser Corey Lewandowski. They have both denied the rumors, but Noem refused to directly answer questions about the alleged affair during a House Judiciary Committee hearing this week.
The final nail in the coffin appeared to be Noem’s appearance at that hearing where she insisted that the DHS ad campaign, which included a segment of her on horseback in front of Mount Rushmore, had been launched with Trump’s approval — a claim the president has denied.
The California governor, who has adopted a Trump-style scorched-earth style of social media posting, issued a statement Friday targeting the money – and Noem’s alleged failure to deliver FEMA funding.
“While Kristi Noem poured $220 million of taxpayer money into a political ad campaign featuring herself on horseback, more than $500 million in FEMA funding for LA fire recovery sat stalled on her desk,” Newsom, a Democrat, wrote. “Families in Los Angeles shouldn’t have to wait while she and Donald Trump play politics. Release the funding now and redirect those dollars to help communities rebuild.”
Newsom alleged that Noem has “failed to sign key recovery contracts — delaying FEMA funding including for Los Angeles fire recover.”
He attributed the delay to a policy under Noem requiring that she sign off on agency contracts and grants valued above $100,000.
“In places like the San Gabriel foothills and the hills above Pasadena and Altadena, communities still have damaged park facilities, fenced-off trailheads, and patched-up roadways that wash out in heavy rain because permanent work cannot move at full speed without the promised federal reimbursement,” the governor’s statement added.
“Schools still wait for dollars to rebuild facilities and classrooms that burned or were heavily damaged.”
The Independent has asked DHS for comment on Newsom’s statement.
Noem, who has been appointed by Trump as special envoy to the newly-created “Shield of the Americas,” was widely mocked for dressing up in tactical gear for various photo ops and press conferences, leading to derisive nicknames like “Kosplay Kristi” and “ICE Barbie.”
Under Noem, FEMA, which is under the DHS umbrella, had more than 1,000 contracts, grants and awards delayed, according to a report release this week by Senate Democrats.
“Secretary Noem’s policy of personally approving certain contracts is putting the safety of communities in need at risk,” Senator Gary Peters of Michigan said in a statement accompanying the report.
“Contrary to claims in the forthcoming report, there are no systemic delays. There is no evidence of a three-week average wait for aid decisions,” a DHS spokesperson told The Hill about the Democrats’ claims. “In fact, Secretary Noem’s review process was specifically designed to break through bureaucratic red tape and expedite funding requests that had previously languished for years under prior administrations.”
Newsom, a regular Trump critic and widely rumored 2028 presidential hopeful, has long sparred with the Trump administration over wildfire aid.
In June, Trump floated potentially withholding wildfire assistance because of his dislike for Newsom.
The blazes in January of last year, including the devastating Palisades and Eaton fires, killed at least 31 people, destroyed an estimated 16,000 structures, and caused more than $22 billion in insured damages.
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