Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has been staying rent-free in the home reserved for the top Coast Guard official following death threats, drawing scrutiny and criticism from congressional Democrats.
The Department of Homeland Security said it was a wide range of death threats, as well as reporting that showed the area around Noem’s Navy Yard condo that spurred the unusual arrangement at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, where the Coast Guard commandant typically lives.
“Following the media’s publishing of the location of Secretary Noem’s Washington DC apartment, she has faced vicious doxing on the dark web and a surge in death threats, including from the terrorist organizations, cartels, and criminals gangs that DHS targets. Due to threats and security concerns, she has been forced to temporarily stay in secure military housing. Secretary Noem continues to pay rent for her Navy Yard residence,” Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.
The move has prompted criticism from some Democrats, who say Noem is improperly using military resources because Cabinet officials traditionally pay fair market value to stay in federal housing that otherwise would be occupied by top military officials.
“Federal government coffers are not Noem’s personal piggy bank, and Coast Guard service members are not her servants. Noem must pay her part. If she requires accommodations for her security, she should brief Congress and request appropriate resources—not take over property from the Coast Guard,” Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said in a statement.
The Washington Post first reported Noem was staying in the commandant’s residence rent-free, while the Daily Mail first reported the secretary moved there in July.
McLaughlin went on to criticize The Post for choosing “to again publish where Secretary Noem is staying—endangering her security.”
“It’s a shame that the media chooses sensationalism over the safety of people enforcing America’s laws to keep Americans safe,” she added.
But Democrats argue the arrangement takes advantage of the Coast Guard — an argument that comes after Noem has faced fire for routinely using the service’s jet.
The quarters for the Coast Guard commandant would typically be held by Adm. Kevin Lunday, the No. 2 official who is leading the Coast Guard in an acting capacity but who has not yet been nominated to the role.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), told the Post the commandant’s house is “not a vanity residence” and that Noem is “essentially taking that property from the military.”
“It’s a real insult to the brave men and women who are protecting our shores that she thinks that house belongs to her instead of to the Coast Guard,” Murphy said.
While cabinet officials are not provided housing, military personnel are given a housing allowance based on their rank, family size, and location. According to the Post, Coast Guard members typically use those funds to pay for a lease, including at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling.
Noem has previously come under fire for tapping into Coast Guard resources.
In May, the Coast Guard added $50 million to their budget request in order to fund the purchase of a new plane that would largely be used by Noem, sparking outrage from Democratic appropriators.
“I was horrified last Friday when we received a last minute addition to your spend plan for fiscal ’25, a new $50 million Gulfstream 5 for Secretary Noem’s personal travel coming from the Coast Guard budget. She already has a Gulfstream 5, by the way, this is a new one,” said Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.), the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, at the time.
The Department of Homeland Security has defended the request.
“The current CG-101 G550 is over twenty years old, outside of Gulfstream’s service life, and well beyond operational usage hours for a corporate aircraft,” McLaughlin said in May.
“This is a matter of safety. Much like the Coast Guard’s ships that are well beyond their service life and safe operational usage, Coast Guard’s aircraft are too. This Administration is taking action to restore our Nation’s finest maritime Armed Service to a capable fighting force.”
The Post on Friday reported Noem has been using the Coast Guard jet extensively since taking office, including for nine personal trips to South Dakota. Federal law requires those trips to be reimbursed at the same cost as a seat on a commercial flight, which McLaughlin told the Post Noem has done.
Thompson on Friday referenced the jet as another example of Noem stretching the resources of the Coast Guard.
“If Secretary Noem is living rent-free in military housing, she should be ashamed. Reports that she is also using Coast Guard executive jets for extensive personal travel … are just as despicable. Secretary Noem’s focus seems to be on pampering herself at taxpayer expense, even as she directs the inhumane and unlawful treatment of so many,” he said.
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