Democrats criticized the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for purchasing, during the government shutdown, two high-end private jets for the secretary and other top officials to use for their official travel.
The U.S. Coast Guard entered into a contract with Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation on Friday to procure two G700 jets for more than $170 million, according to documents posted to a public government procurement website.
The jets, according to a Coast Guard press release, will replace planes that were as much as 20 years old and were “experiencing several unplanned maintenance issues.”
The Coast Guard said the aircraft “are required to provide official travel” for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Troy Edgar and top commandants of the Coast Guard.
“The timing of this investment underscores the Coast Guard’s vital need to modernize its command and control capabilities to meet today’s rapidly evolving operational demands. As maritime activity increases and national security challenges grow more complex, maintaining reliable air mobility is essential to ensuring continuity of operations and mission success,” Adm. Kevin Lunday, acting commandant of the Coast Guard, said in a statement.
But congressional Democrats say the purchase of the luxury jets does not align with the funding requests originally made for the department, and they raised questions over the source of the funds for the luxury jets.
In a letter to Noem, House Appropriations Committee ranking member Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.) requested additional information on the purchase.
“It has come to our attention that, in the midst of a government shutdown, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) entered into a sole source contract with Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation to procure two new G700 luxury jets to support travel for you and the Deputy Secretary, at a cost to the taxpayer of $200 million,” DeLauro and Underwood wrote in the letter.
“Based on the Department’s public statement that you personally sign off on all DHS contracts that exceed $100,000 in value, and prior solicitations indicating that you are a primary user of these aircraft, we assume that you are involved in the approval of this contract,” they continued.
The congresswomen criticized other moments of Noem’s tenure, adding, “it appears you are routinely prioritizing yourself and those closest to you over the needs of the USCG servicemembers who protect this nation.”
They asked for additional information about what precipitated the change in the department’s strategy, where the funding is coming from and why they did not notify Congress about the changes.
The Coast Guard in May included a request in its budget to purchase a new long-range Gulfstream V jet for approximately $50 million for Noem’s personal travel. Democrats blasted the request at the time.
House Homeland Security Committee ranking member Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) criticized the purchase of “multiple luxury jets for her travel around the world for more photo-ops” as “wholly inappropriate” and called on Congress to investigate the matter.
“The fact that she’s doing it during a Federal government shutdown while most of the DHS workforce is working without pay is completely vile,” Thompson said. “Such spending is blatantly immoral — and probably illegal — and Congress must investigate. We said hell no to her request for a $50 million jet earlier this year, but now she went ahead with it anyway while quadrupling it.”
“Pretending that this purchase was required for ‘safety’ when Coast Guard service members are forced to use mission critical aircraft dating back to the 1980s is the height of hypocrisy,” he added.
Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), ranking member on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, similarly criticized the purchase amid the ongoing shutdown.
“While members of the Coast Guard are focused on keeping our seas safe even though many are not getting paid, Secretary Kristi Noem wants to buy hundred million dollar jets,” Larsen said in a statement. “Secretary Noem: cool your jets and fly commercial.”
In an emailed statement, a senior adviser to the secretary for the Coast Guard responded to Larsen’s statement specifically, accusing him of “playing politics with the funding of the Coast Guard.”
“This is a matter of safety and mission readiness. It’s well known that senior military officials and cabinet members need secure command and control and rapid long range mobility,” Sean Plankey, the senior adviser, said in the statement.
“Flippant comments like this are great for clicks and fundraising emails, but don’t reflect the reality of protecting the American people 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year. As a member of congressional leadership, and the top democrat on the transportation and infrastructure committee he should know more about this matter than his comments indicate.”
