A Trump administration official went on the defensive Monday after a report that the administration is far outspending previous administrations on chemical weapons — and using them against its own citizens.
Advocates have criticized the administration for its spending and accused ICE agents of using force and chemical weapons, including pepper spray and pepper ball projectiles, on people protesting the administration's immigration policies, according to a Newsweek report.
Compared to previous administrations, the Trump administration's spending on chemical weapons has skyrocketed.
"According to federal procurement data, the government has spent $5,010,584 on chemical weapons since Trump secured the keys to the White House in January 2025. This is almost as much in around 11 months as the $6,821,592 former President Joe Biden spent during his whole administration, between 2021 and 2025. It is also around 11 times the $447,555 that Trump's first administration spent between 2017 and 2021," Newsweek reported.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin responded to Newsweek in a statement:
"ICE buying its law enforcement officers guns and non-lethal resources is a nonstory. It should come as no surprise that we purchase and acquire firearms for law enforcement—especially amid the increased onboarding of 11,000 agents thanks to President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill."
"Do you also plan to cover the 1,150 percent increase in assaults against law enforcement including terrorist attacks, cars being used as weapons, and officers having rocks and Molotov cocktails thrown at them?"
The administration's contracts have come into question, including one company where a bulk of the spending has gone: tactical equipment company Quantico Tactical. The company received $2.6 million from U.S. Customs and Border Protection for a contract from June 2025 to June 2026 for less lethal munitions and also a $1.4 million contract for less lethal chemical munitions from September 2025 to September 2026.
"The contacts, awarded to DHS agencies ICE, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers are filed in federal procurement databases under the product and service code 'chemical weapons and equipment,'" Newsweek reported.
"Some contracts specify that they pertain to weapons including pepper spray and pepper ball projectiles. Others are more vague, stating they are for less lethal munitions, without disclosing what these munitions are. Less lethal munitions can refer to rubber bullets, pepper spray, tear gas, and electric-shock weapons, among others. It is also not known where these weapons have been used and for what purposes," according to the outlet.