Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), a retired Marine, criticized DHS Secretary Kristi Noem for "bad weapons handling" while promoting herself in various costumes on social media.
During a Tuesday Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee hearing, Gallego noted that Noem's department was overspending on border security.
"At the same time, though, you recently requested a $50 million allotment for a private Gulfstream jet," he pointed out. "That's $50 million of taxpayer money to subsidize some of your national tours that you've been going on."
"Meanwhile, Republicans are about to kick another 13 million people off Medicaid to fund taxes for the rich on the backs of some working-class Americans," the senator continued. "So how can you justify spending millions, 50 million, on a jet while your department is definitely overspending, and Republicans in Congress are about to strip off of health care from millions of Americans?"
"We are spending our dollars appropriately and will be on budget," Noem insisted. "When you referenced the airframe, that was the requested dollars [that] were put in for, that's for the Coast Guard."
"Are you going to have access to that $50 million Gulfstream jet that is that the Coast Guard is going to supply?" Gallego wondered. "Would you consistently be using it to travel?"
"I don't know if I would use that one or if I would use the other one," Noem admitted.
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"But I do spend time out there with our components, making sure that they are — know that they have a secretary that's engaged with them, that's visiting with them, seeing what their needs are," she added.
"We've seen the Instagram photos," the senator sighed.
"No, sir, they're not photos!" Noem exclaimed. "They've meant the world to the individuals at the Department of Homeland Security."
"I've seen some of them. Especially some really bad weapons handling," Gallego said of Noem's social media posts.
