The Department of Homeland Security has acquired two luxury jets at a cost of $172 million to be used by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and other top agency officials, new documents reviewed by The New York Times revealed Saturday.
According to the documents, the two jets are used Gulfstream G700s, which its manufacturer touts as having the “most spacious cabin in the industry." They seat up to 13 passengers, include a “whisper-quiet cabin with 100% fresh, plasma-ionized air” and the largest windows “in business aviation.”
A DHS spokesperson told the Times in its report Saturday that the purchase was made as “a matter of safety” given that the agency’s existing jet was “well beyond operational usage hours for a corporate aircraft.”
For two Democratic lawmakers, however, the purchase was inappropriate, particularly amid the ongoing government shutdown, and without transparency around where the funding had come from.
“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 [United States Coast Guard] has been directed to prioritize your own comfort above the U.S.C.G.’s operational needs, even during a government shutdown,” reads a letter sent to Noem and signed by Reps. Rosa DeLaura (D-CT) and Lauren Underwood (D-IL).
“We are deeply concerned about your judgment, leadership priorities, and responsibility as a steward of taxpayer dollars.”
The two lawmakers go on in the letter to demand more information of the purchase, including the timeline for the jets’ delivery, the source of funding for the purchase, and the names of those who reviewed or approved the purchase.
“Indeed, from choosing to live rent-free in the Commandant’s quarters, to defending Mr. Lewandowski’s refusal to provide basic information about his special government employeestatus, to your frequent appearances at ongoing operations which require a diversion of resources to focus on your security, it appears you are routinely prioritizing yourself and those closest to you over the needs of the USCG servicemembers who protect this nation,” the letter reads.