Noem signs $200 million contract for private aircraft during shutdown
The government may have run out of money for paychecks but somehow found $200 million for private jets.
While Coast Guard crews are working without pay through the third week of the shutdown, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem just approved a sole-source contract for two Gulfstream G700s – luxury aircraft normally reserved for billionaires and Bond villains. Her signature is on it. No competitive bids, no emergency justification. Just a “need” for nicer wings.
Democrats in the House sent her a letter reminding her that she personally approves every DHS contract over $100,000. They also noted she’s one of the primary users of these planes. So this wasn’t some autopilot procurement mix-up – it was a choice. A $200 million choice made while Coast Guard families are visiting food banks.
The Coast Guard’s mission doesn’t stop when budgets do. Forty-two thousand service members are still out there saving lives, interdicting smugglers, and guarding ports – all without paychecks. Meanwhile, the Secretary of Homeland Security apparently decided the department’s biggest operational gap was “insufficient legroom.”
Gulfstream G700s are top-of-the-line luxury jets – leather seating, onboard suites, full entertainment systems. DHS already owns aircraft suitable for official travel. This was about comfort and optics, not capability.
Noem has built her brand around fiscal restraint and “supporting the front lines.” Yet here we are: frontline workers unpaid, leadership airborne in a $200 million contradiction. The same administration insisting we can’t afford federal salaries somehow found the cash for luxury interiors.
Noem calls this shutdown a stand for “responsible spending.” If this is responsibility, I’d hate to see indulgence.