The Questionable Case of Kristi Noem's $50 Million Luxury Jet

Gulfstream Aerospace G-V Gulfstream V AN0811210.
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Trump's secretary of Homeland Security, came under fire last week for her department's eleventh-hour request for a new luxury jet: $50 million for a Gulfstream 5 for Noem's personal use, paid for out of the budget of the Coast Guard. DHS argues Noem needs a new jet for safety reasons while taking the budget from the aging Coast Guard rescue and interdiction fleet. Experts and members of Congress are left questioning why DHS would prioritize buying a luxury plane for a Cabinet secretary seemingly obsessed with traveling far and wide for photo ops, from NYC to El Salvador, over the aircraft needed for core Coast Guard duties. "The Secretary's plane isn't the only Coast Guard asset operating past its prime, and yet hers is the Department's number one priority for replacement"--Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn.