The US Coast Guard has purchased two luxury private jets for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at a total cost of more than $170 million in taxpayer money as the federal government remains shut down, imperiling food aid and other assistance for tens of millions of Americans.
The decision to buy two Gulfstream G700 jets for Noem—a central figure in President Donald Trump’s lawless mass deportation campaign—drew swift criticism from Democratic lawmakers, who said the purchase underscores the administration’s corruption and contempt for those struggling amid a government shutdown with no end in sight.
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the top Democrat on the House Committee on Homeland Security, called the spending “wholly inappropriate,” “blatantly immoral,” and “probably illegal” in a statement issued Sunday.
“While the nation suffers under this corrupt and extreme administration, Secretary Noem is fleecing the American taxpayers to live in luxury,” said Thompson. “Not only does she now have multiple fancy jets to use, she lives rent-free on Coast Guard property.”
In a letter to the Department of Homeland Security—which oversees the US Coast Guard (USCG)—Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.) pointed to Noem’s policy of personally reviewing and deciding whether to approve any contract exceeding $100,000 in value, an indication that the secretary signed off on the new procurement of private jets from Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation.
The purchase, wrote DeLauro and Underwood, “reflects a continuing trend of self-aggrandizement” during Noem’s tenure as head of DHS. The two Democrats demanded answers from the agency about the contract, including the names of those who reviewed it and the funding source.
“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 USCG has been directed to prioritize your own comfort above the USCG’s operational needs, even during a government shutdown,” DeLauro and Underwood wrote. “We are deeply concerned about your judgment, leadership priorities, and responsibility as a steward of taxpayer dollars.”
News of the Coast Guard’s private jet purchase, which DHS claimed was a “matter of safety,” comes as the Trump administration continues to exploit the government shutdown to inflict partisan funding cuts and accelerate its assault on the federal workforce.
Recipients of federal nutrition assistance are among those set to face significant harm if the shutdown persists.
According to the Trump administration’s own estimates, more than 40 million Americans could soon see disruptions or cuts to their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits if the government remains shut down into November.
The US Department of Agriculture reportedly warned state agencies last week that the federal government would have “insufficient funds” to fully pay out benefits. The average monthly SNAP payment is $177 per person, according to the USDA.
“Can’t pay federal workers. Can’t reopen the government. But sure, let’s buy Kristi Noem TWO private jets,” Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) wrote in a social media post on Sunday. “Republicans have lost absolutely all touch with reality.”