'Is this what the $800 billion went to?': Rep mocks Kristi Noem over her ridiculous outfits amid calls for her impeachment

What unfolded in Minneapolis on January 7, 2026, has quickly become one of the most disturbing flashpoints of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. A 37-year-old mother, Renee Nicole Good, was fatally shot in the face by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer during an immigration raid, an encounter that escalated in seconds and left a city reeling.As protests spread and questions mounted, the tragedy reached the floor of Congress. On Wednesday, Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) delivered a blistering address before the House Judiciary Committee, calling for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to be removed from office, or impeached outright, while accusing her of prioritising optics over accountability. Moskowitz’s outrage was directed not just at policy, but at what he described as Noem’s performative leadership. Holding up a printed image of Noem in a cowgirl hat, he criticised her response to the Minneapolis shooting, particularly her decision to label the incident “domestic terrorism” almost immediately after it occurred.“This is the person who within minutes of the shooting, within minutes of the shooting, went on TV and called it ‘domestic terrorism,’” Moskowitz said, briefly turning to glance at the photo.The secretary had accused Good of using her vehicle to “attempt to run over our law enforcement officers,” describing the act as terrorism. The Minnesota Star Tribune identified the ICE officer who fired the fatal shot as Jonathan Ross. The case remains under investigation.Moskowitz did not hold back. Taking aim at Noem’s now-infamous public appearances, he mocked her presentation and questioned her seriousness as the head of a sprawling federal agency.“Is she hiding her face like her ICE agents now?” he asked, in a pointed jab that drew murmurs in the room. Then came the line that ricocheted across social media.“By the way, is this what the $800 billion went to?” Moskowitz said. “Every day we see her after some new tragedy, she’s wearing a different outfit with a different hat. She looks ridiculous. She’s not just an embarrassment to the country, she’s an embarrassment to you and the president. She deserves to be removed from her job and if not impeached.”Online, the ridicule intensified. Noem’s hats, jackets and carefully styled appearances have already turned her into a recurring meme, with critics dubbing her “ICE Barbie.” Late-night television hosts joined the chorus.“Why is Kristi Noem always in some sort of cosplay outfit?” Seth Meyers asked on air.“I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you lying over your hat,” Stephen Colbert quipped.Ronny Chieng was even sharper: “Maybe you didn’t see the video clearly because your stupid hat is blocking your vision. But thank you for weighing in, and sorry to interrupt your girls weekend in Nashville.”The jokes have landed because they echo a deeper criticism: that under Noem’s leadership, immigration enforcement has begun to resemble a spectacle. ICE raids are filmed, arrests are staged, and the visuals often feel more like a video game than law enforcement. Noem, almost always impeccably styled, has become the face of that imagery.In the months since joining the Trump administration, she has repeatedly appeared in themed outfits, border patrol jackets, cowboy hats, tactical vests, paired with full glam makeup, curled hair and visible extensions. The contrast between the gravity of her job and the theatrical presentation has only sharpened scrutiny.That scrutiny isn’t new. In May 2025, during a hearing before the Committee of Homeland Security, Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.) laid into Noem’s record.“You have been sloppy; your department has been sloppy. And instead of focusing on real criminals, you have allowed innocent children to be deported while you fly around the country playing dress-up for the cameras,” Magaziner said, as reported by The New Republic.Even before her Cabinet appointment, Noem was known for costumed appearances. As governor of South Dakota, she frequently dressed up for campaign ads, leaning into visual symbolism. Now, critics argue, the same instincts are being applied to one of the most consequential jobs in Washington.Her first visit to the US-Mexico border as homeland security secretary in February 2025 only reinforced that perception. The day before the trip, Noem appeared on NBC News and teased her outfit for the visit. During her interview with Kristen Welker, she wore a beige Henley shirt and an oversized cowboy hat that immediately drew attention online.At the border, she doubled down: bootcut jeans, a large belt buckle, a border patrol jacket, the same hat, and perfectly styled hair. With lashes, smokey eyes, and even a horse beneath her, the images circulating online looked less like a policy visit and more like a scene from “Yellowstone.”Noem, 54, often points to her upbringing on her family farm in Hazel, South Dakota, and describes herself as a rancher. Cowgirl-inspired outfits frequently appear on her personal social media. But for critics, that personal branding has become inseparable from what they see as dangerous policy choices dressed up for the camera.Back in Washington, Moskowitz expanded his criticism beyond Noem. He noted that neither she nor US Attorney General Pam Bondi has testified before a House committee since Trump returned to office in January 2025. Moskowitz, who serves on the House Foreign Affairs, Judiciary, and Oversight committees, attempted to move forward with a subpoena for Bondi.House Judiciary subcommittee chairman Rep. Darrell Issa (D-Calif.) said the motion could not be recognised at that moment, though he added that the chair would advise Bondi to make a routine appearance.Meanwhile, anger continues to boil in Minneapolis. The administration has leaned heavily on a self-defense argument, a position echoed by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and Vice President JD Vance, who also accused the media of unfair coverage.Local leaders are unconvinced. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the city has seen the footage and rejects the narrative being pushed from Washington.“They are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense,” Frey said. “Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly that is bulls---.”He went further, directing his fury squarely at ICE. “To ICE: get the f--- out of Minneapolis. We do not want you here. Your stated reason for being here in this city is to create some kind of safety, and you are doing exactly the opposite.”