Outgoing Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem still has a pile of unsigned contracts on her desk – potentially leaving a plethora of approvals for her successor, according to a new report.
Noem, who implemented a policy that she must approve of any contract worth $100,000 or more, reportedly has yet to give her stamp of approval for payments related to immigration detention centers, disaster relief under FEMA and more, Axios reported.
Some vendors have been awaiting payments for projects even before the partial government shutdown that has left DHS temporarily unfunded. Now, with Noem’s official departure quickly approaching, the next DHS leader could inherit an administrative problem.
"There's a mountain of backed-up contracts and invoices on her desk that the new guy will just have to deal with," a person familiar with the situation told Axios.
It’s unclear whether Noem plans to sign off on most or all of the contracts awaiting her signature. It’s also unclear whether Noem can sign off on them with the partial shutdown ongoing.
The Independent has asked the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
Project and funding delays stemming from Noem’s policy on $100k contracts have been reported on for over a year. The rule has proved so disruptive that some vendors have billed the department in $99,999 chunks to get payments through, Axios said.
Earlier this year, an internal memo outlining border wall progress, obtained by Axios and the Washington Examiner, indicated that, as of January 27, approximately 102 miles of steel wall and 93 miles of water buoy barriers were awaiting approval from Noem through contracts. However, a DHS spokesperson denied that Noem’s signature was holding up the construction.
Elsewhere, one person familiar with current FEMA contracting delays told Axios that “it’s still a giant s***show” in the emergency assistance office.
"The ramifications of her tenure are going to be felt for years and years and years and years," the person told Axios. "We're not really going to know exactly how bad it is until we have a major hurricane that unfortunately impacts someplace in the United States."
Other payments, such as those to detention facilities, have also been awaiting contact renewals, a source told Axios. Any upcoming contract renewal delays appear to have been exacerbated by the ongoing partial shutdown.
Noem is leaving DHS more than a year after the president tapped her to oversee the department. Her tenure has been defined by a chaotic immigration enforcement rollout that’s led to more than 600,000 deportations, thousands of lawsuits and three U.S. citizens killed during violent encounters with law enforcement.
Her ousting followed from a recent congressional hearing in which Noem contradicted President Donald Trump by claiming he directly signed off on a $220 million ad campaign.
Lawmakers are now investigating the ad contract to determine whether the outgoing secretary, her senior adviser Corey Lewandowski or other DHS employees financially benefited from the agreements.
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