Federal officials are defending plans to purchase a new $50 million Gulfstream jet for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and senior agency leaders, even as concerns mount over executive air travel and government waste.
During a Tuesday hearing of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, Admiral Kevin Lunday, acting commandant of the Coast Guard, said the current C-37A Gulfstream is more than 20 years old and nearing obsolescence.
“The avionics are increasingly obsolete,” Lunday said. “The communications are increasingly unreliable, and it is in need of recapitalization like much of the fleet.”
The Coast Guard’s 2025 budget includes $206 million for aircraft recapitalization and maintenance, though the requested Gulfstream is not named in the public budget summary. DHS officials provided a detailed justification for the jet during the May 14 hearing, which was archived by the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service.
Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at DHS, wrote in a statement that the aircraft is “well beyond operational usage hours” and its replacement is “a matter of safety.”
The aircraft is one of two command-and-control jets used by top Homeland Security officials. The older C-37A was delivered in 2002. The newer C-37B, delivered in 2022, cost about $66 million and is based at Coast Guard Air Station Washington, D.C.
Representative Lauren Underwood, Democrat of Illinois and ranking member of the subcommittee, called the funding request a “last-minute addition” and criticized it sharply.
“We should be investing in our national security and improving the lives of our Coasties – not wasting taxpayer dollars on luxury travel and political stunts,” Underwood said.
The jet request comes amid a broader debate over high-end government aircraft. Former President Donald Trump is reportedly considering accepting a Boeing 747-8 from Qatar’s ruling family for use as a future version of Air Force One. Critics, including Representative Joe Courtney, Democrat of Connecticut, warn the plane would require extensive retrofitting for secure presidential use.
Noem’s past travel as South Dakota governor has also come under scrutiny. A Dakota Scout investigation found that Noem and her staff spent more than $650,000 on state-issued credit cards over five years, with over $300,000 for out-of-state travel, lodging, and security, including political and speaking engagements.
Noem’s legal team disputes the report, claiming she personally charged about $2,000 and that most costs were for staff and security. Her lawyers sent a cease-and-desist letter to The Dakota Scout, which stands by its reporting and has published a searchable database of state credit card transactions.
The Coast Guard and DHS have not released further details on Noem’s current use of the federal aircraft or additional specifics about the new jet.
