Rep. Robert Garcia is turning up the heat on the Department of Homeland Security, demanding to know why former Secretary Kristi Noem is still living in a Coast Guard-owned residence at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling nearly two months after she was removed from her post. Garcia argues the arrangement appears to have displaced the service’s top uniformed officer and may have turned taxpayer-funded housing into a perk for a political appointee. The push adds another layer of scrutiny to Noem’s rocky tenure at DHS and comes as lawmakers hunt for records that could show who, if anyone, picked up the tab.
Garcia Sends Records Request To DHS
In a letter to Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Rep. Garcia called for "any lease agreements, housing waivers, or other contractual arrangements" that allowed Noem to use Coast Guard housing and demanded proof of "any and all evidence of rental payments or reimbursements" by May 15, according to a copy of the request posted by House Oversight Democrats. The letter frames Noem’s continued stay as a potential misuse of government resources and seeks all communications and policies that were used to justify the arrangement.
Background: How Noem Came To Quarters 1
Noem first moved into the waterfront "Quarters 1" residence in August 2025, The Washington Post reported, a move that rank-and-file Coast Guard officers viewed as highly unusual because the house is traditionally reserved for the commandant. During a March 4 congressional hearing, Noem told lawmakers she was paying to stay there, insisting, "I rent that facility. I rent where I stay and pay personal dollars to do that," according to a transcript of her testimony before the House Judiciary Committee.
How The Commandant's Quarters Became Available
The residence opened up after Admiral Linda Fagan was removed from her post and, according to contemporaneous reporting, ordered to clear out with only hours' notice, an eviction NBC News described at the time as abrupt. That lightning-fast handover of the commandant’s historic home fed complaints inside the service about limited housing and bad optics. Democrats and some career officers have argued the sequence of events warrants a straightforward accounting of whether military housing rules were followed.
Noem Remained Weeks After Ouster, Reports Say
The Wall Street Journal reported on April 23 that Noem continued using the waterfront residence weeks after her March ouster as DHS secretary. Journal reporting and people familiar with the situation say Admiral Kevin Lunday, who currently lives in a neighboring base house, has told associates he expects to move into Quarters 1 "imminently," which would in turn free up the adjacent home for the vice commandant. The Journal's account has renewed pressure on DHS leadership to explain why a former cabinet official stayed in a home typically reserved for senior military leadership.
Legal And Oversight Questions
Garcia's letter argues that the former secretary's continued occupation "raises concerns of waste, fraud, and abuse of government resources" and orders DHS to produce memoranda, lease records and any evidence of payments that could show whether Noem reimbursed the government. The request gives Secretary Mullin until May 15 to turn over the materials referenced in the letter, a timeline meant to let lawmakers quickly determine whether the arrangement was properly authorized. If the records show Noem did not reimburse the government, the committee signals that additional oversight steps could be on deck.
"Kristi Noem got fired in March and she is still living rent-free in a government home that belongs to the Coast Guard," Rep. Garcia said in a statement, according to The Independent. With a May 15 deadline looming, lawmakers and ethics watchers are bracing to see whether DHS releases records that spell out how the housing decision was approved and whether taxpayers were ever billed for Noem’s waterfront stay.
