Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem continues to suckle the government teat for all she can get. While asking for a fancy new government jet, she’s also moved into rent-free government housing:
According to the Washington Post, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has been residing free of charge in the official residence of the U.S. Coast Guard’s commandant, a property traditionally reserved for the service’s top admiral, according to officials familiar with the matter.
The arrangement, described as “highly unusual” by current and former government personnel, has sparked debate within DHS and among Democratic lawmakers, some of whom argue it represents an inappropriate use of military resources.
…A DHS spokesperson defended the decision, stating that Noem has faced persistent security threats. “Secretary Noem was so horribly doxxed and targeted that she is no longer able to safely live in her own apartment,” the spokesman said. The official emphasized that living on the military base provides the necessary security for her role.
While it is not uncommon for senior military officers to reside in base housing, civilian Cabinet officials generally arrange their own accommodations. Several agency insiders privately voiced concern about the optics and precedent of using high-value military property for a political appointee, particularly without publicly disclosed terms or timeline [Aaron Parnas, “Kristi Noem Living Rent-Free in Coast Guard Commandant’s Home,” Meidas News, 2025.08.15].
Noem claims she’s squatting in the commandant’s house for security reasons (a familiar dodge when brittle Noem is keeping secrets), but I suspect living across the street from Corey Lewandowski in a swanky $3750-per-month condo was getting too hot for Kristi.
The folks who haven’t joined the Trump cult recognize the impropriety of Noem’s co-opting a military residence:
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ranking Member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, sent a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem following recent reporting by The Washington Post that she was living for free in a military home typically reserved for the Coast Guard Commandant, the top admiral of the U.S. Coast Guard. In the letter, Blumenthal sought details regarding Noem’s living arrangement and questioned Noem’s reasoning for living in the Coast Guard Commandant’s residence at the expense of taxpayers and service members. Other Cabinet-level officials who live on military installations – such as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and, during President Trump’s first term, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo – pay rent.
“You have apparently been occupying this residence for an undetermined length of time without paying rent, marking a striking departure from other cabinet secretaries. Your spokesperson indicated this was because you felt unsafe in your current apartment, yet you continue to pay rent on that apartment,” wrote Blumenthal. “Like all Americans, you deserve to feel safe where you live, but your position as Secretary does not grant you the special privilege of taxpayer-funded housing.”
Blumenthal cited past reporting of Noem misusing taxpayer dollars as heightening concerns surrounding Noem’s living arrangement, writing “Your rent-free occupation of the Coast Guard Commandant’s residence is extremely troubling in light of past reports of your suspect management of taxpayer funds and concealment of financial information” [Senator Richard Blumenthal, press release, 2025.08.19].
Noem’s squatting on federal property comes as her own agents participate in clearing encampments of other Americans trying to live rent-free in D.C.