The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is canceling most pending contracts initiated under ousted Secretary Kristi Noem, the current secretary said on Wednesday, a move that follows congressional scrutiny and an internal watchdog review of her contracting practices.

During a hearing before the U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee, Secretary Markwayne Mullin also said he would restore longer training for federal immigration officers, reversing a Noem-era decision that shortened training during a hiring surge and drew bipartisan concerns in Congress about whether recruits were adequately prepared.

Mullin faced questions from a top Democrat about what steps he had taken to roll back Noem-era contracts.

“We are looking at the contracts that weren’t already signed, and we did go through and cancel most of those,” Mullin said.

The move is part of a broader effort by Mullin to unwind contracting practices under Noem that drew bipartisan criticism.

U.S. President Donald Trump fired Noem in March as public support for his immigration crackdown diminished and as lawmakers, including Republicans, raised concerns about large contracts awarded outside standard contracting processes. In the days before she was fired, Noem was grilled by lawmakers over a $220 million advertising campaign that was awarded to Republican-connected firms.

Noem said at the time that it was awarded through a competitive process and that no political appointees were involved.

Noem is currently serving as a special envoy to the U.S. State Department’s Shield of the Americas coalition to counter transnational crime. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mullin said the department could not easily terminate contracts that had already been finalized. He said the Office of Inspector General had multiple active investigations, but that he had not been briefed on the details.

Deputy Secretary Troy Edgar said they had met with the Inspector General’s office to discuss open contracts.

U.S. Representative Bennie Thompson, the committee’s top-ranking Democrat, said action must be taken if there were problems.

“If you know something is done wrong, then I think you are obligated to stop it,” Thompson said.

In response to a request for comment, a DHS spokesperson said Mullin “re-evaluated the contract processes to make sure DHS is serving the American taxpayer efficiently.”

Mullin to Restore ICE Training, Defends Use of Jets

Mullin said the department would restore a 72-day training timeline for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement recruits after it had been shortened under Noem to speed deployment.

“We had to rewrite the curriculum,” Mullin said. “All trainings starting July 1 will be back up to the regular standards.”

Mullin pushed back on Democrats’ criticism of ICE, including allegations that Trump’s immigration policies were motivated by racism.

“Racism is a reckless term that is thrown around way too often,” Mullin said. “They’re enforcing the law that Congress passed.”

Mullin also faced criticism over the Trump administration’s use of a pair of Gulfstream G700s and a Boeing 737 purchased during Noem’s tenure.

Pressed by Democrat James Walkinshaw of Virginia to commit to selling the jets, Mullin said they were necessary, adding he needed secure communications and could not fly commercially.

He said the 737 had been “detailed to the executive branch” but did not say which officials were using it.

DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Ted Hesson and David Shepardson; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)