Kristi Noem gets $172M luxury jets as Democrats raise concern over funding source

WASHINGTON, DC: Department of Homeland Security under Secretary Kristi Noem is facing intense scrutiny after purchasing two ultra-luxurious Gulfstream G700 jets worth $172 million. 

DHS spokesperson termed the move as a "matter of safety," citing the age of its existing jets as over 20 years old by noting it is “well beyond operational usage hours for a corporate aircraft.”

According to The New York Times, the jets offer “the most spacious cabin in the industry,” as marketed by Gulfstream.

Kristi Noem's first request was a $50M Gulfstream V

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's request for a new, $50 million Gulfstream V jet prompted the US Coast Guard to issue a last-minute revision to its 2025 budget, which has come under heavy fire. 

Representative Lauren Underwood pointed this out in a congressional hearing, where she said that Noem already had access to a Gulfstream V and was asking for a new one out of taxpayer money.

The call was likened on social media to an earlier controversy concerning President Donald Trump. In that case, Qatar had promised to give the US a $400 million plane as a gift for the president, which led to public outcry.

Opponents of Noem's jet request, citing the Qatar scenario, implied that she ought to "ask Qatar if they have an extra one lying around" rather than using taxpayer funds to acquire personal luxuries. 

Coast Guard justifies planes old planes 'unreliable'

According to a Coast Guard press release, the aircraft are required to provide official travel for the Secretary of Homeland Security, Deputy Secretary Homeland Security, Commandant of the Coast Guard, Vice Commandant and Atlantic and Pacific commanders as specified by the Office of Management and Budget and Department of Homeland Security policy.

It further mentioned that as with the Secretaries of State and War, the Attorney General and directors of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Central Intelligence Agency, the White House determined in March 2004 the duties of the Secretary of Homeland Security were such that they require instantaneous secure communications with the White House, the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies. 

"It’s incredibly disappointing that politicians and the media are playing politics with the funding of the Coast Guard,” said Sean Plankey, senior advisor to the secretary for the Coast Guard.

Earlier this year, the United States Coast Guard asked for $50 million in its budget for one long-range Gulfstream V aircraft. The new aircraft is to be used to replace an older plane flown by Noem.

The Coast Guard's acting commandant, Kevin Lunday, described why the replacement was needed in May, saying, "The avionics are more and more antiquated, the communications are more and more on a shoestring and it's in need of recapitalization, like much of the rest of the fleet."

Lunday went on further to explain that a new plane is essential “to provide agency leaders with secure, reliable, on-demand communications and movement to go forward, visit our operating forces, conducting the missions and then come back here to Washington and make sure we can work together to get them what they need.”

The new plane would provide leaders with the ability to stay in touch and travel effectively to augment field operations.

Democrats challenge Kristi Noem's lavish Coast Guard jet spending

Democrats are taking issue with Noem's indulgence in taxpayer funds, particularly at this time of government shutdown. The source of funding for the jets is "unclear where the funding came from."

Rosa DeLauro, the senior Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, and Lauren Underwood of Illinois, the top Democrat overseeing its homeland security panel, wrote a letter requesting that Noem "clarify the funding source."

They expressed serious objection to her priorities and stated, “In addition to raising serious questions about your ability to effectively lead an agency whose procurement strategies appear to vary on a whim, the procurement of new luxury jets for your use suggests that the U.S.C.G. has been directed to prioritize your own comfort above the U.S.C.G.’s operational needs, even during a government shutdown," and continued, "We are alarmed by your judgment, leadership priorities, and accountability as a steward of taxpayer funds."

Republicans earlier this year included around $25 billion in new funds for the Coast Guard, including around $2.3 billion for "procurement and acquisition of rotary-wing aircraft."

Noem said this week that she was employing some of the newly appropriating funds to make sure Coast Guard members would "not miss a paycheck during the current government shutdown," reported The New York Times.