DHS to spend $200 million on private jets for Noem, other officials

[In It to Win It]

WaPo - Gift Link

The Coast Guard plans to buy two Gulfstream private jets to be used by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem and other top DHS and Coast Guard officials at a total estimated cost of $200 million, according to a document obtained by The Washington Post.

The total cost, which includes payment for training, “specialized paint” and “cabin enhancements,” far outstrips the $50 million the Coast Guard had requested this year to purchase a new Gulfstream jet.

The jets contract is the latest use of funds and assets by Noem and the Department of Homeland Security to draw attention. In August, The Post reported that Noem was living rent-free at a home reserved for the Coast Guard’s top admiral. Noem’s use of the Coast Guard’s existing jet for personal travel has also been criticized by Democrats and ethics watchdogs.

A spokesperson for DHS did not respond to a request for comment. DHS spokespeople previously said that Noem’s use of the Coast Guard residence was temporary and that she had reimbursed the government for private travel on Coast Guard-owned aircraft.

The Coast Guard plans to buy two Gulfstream private jets to be used by Homeland Security Department Secretary Kristi Noem and other top DHS and Coast Guard officials at a total estimated cost of 0 million.

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost.com) 2025-10-18T23:30:05.070949705Z

[Diamond_Dog]

1. Meanwhile,

Struggling Americans are losing their food stamps at the end of the month, the cost of health insurance and many prescriptions is doubling and tripling, and the government is shutting down due to lack of funds.

But Botox Barbie needs her private jets.

[lame54]

2. Closing the govt. is expensive

[LetMyPeopleVote]

3. Democrats have some questions about DHS buying private jets to be used by Kristi Noem

The homeland security secretary was already a controversial figure. Then her agency bought two private jets for her and other DHS officials.

"Kristi Noem was already a controversial figure. Then her agency spent 4 million to buy two private jets for her, at taxpayer expense..."

www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...

— Rachel Maddow (@maddow.msnbc.com) 2025-10-20T18:26:53.526Z

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/democrats-questions-dhs-buying-private-jets-used-kristi-noem-rcna238636

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has generated a great many controversies during her first year in the White House Cabinet, but one of the most problematic has to do with government efficiency — or in the case of the South Dakota Republican, the lack thereof......

There’s one area within DHS, however, where money appears to be flowing quite freely. The New York Times reported:

The Department of Homeland Security has purchased two Gulfstream private jets for Kristi Noem, the secretary, and other top department officials at a cost of $172 million, according to documents reviewed by The New York Times. The jets, which a department official said were needed for safety, are the latest expenditures on behalf of Ms. Noem to draw scrutiny from Democrats and other critics who have noted her lavish spending on living and other expenses during her time in public life.

.....The Coast Guard originally requested $50 million to buy a jet to replace the plane Noem is already using. Now, however, DHS is spending $172 million to purchase two jets.....

ProPublica reported last month, for example, that a community in Florida awaiting FEMA assistance found itself stuck in “bureaucratic purgatory,” right up until one of Noem’s wealthy supporters reached out to her, at which point the process dramatically improved.

A month earlier, The Washington Post reported that the secretary was living for free in a military home typically reserved for the Coast Guard’s top admiral. “Other Cabinet officials, including during both Trump administrations, have paid to use military housing that otherwise would be occupied by top generals and admirals,” the article added.

As for her tenure as governor, the Times’ report noted that Noem also used taxpayer money to remodel the governor’s mansion (she bought, among other things, a sauna) before having South Dakota taxpayers cover the costs of her pre-election travel in 2024, including a six-day trip to Paris.