Kristi Noem’s $50 Million Jet Draws Fire as Democrats Expose Misuse of Public Funds

 

Democrats Slam Kristi Noem’s $50 Million Jet Scheme as Wasteful and Outrageous

Democratic lawmakers are calling out MAGA-aligned Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for what they describe as an egregious misuse of taxpayer dollars: a $50 million plan to buy herself a new jet.

While millions of working Americans are grappling with rising costs and economic uncertainty, the Trump administration continues to funnel public funds into vanity projects for its inner circle.

“Reports indicate this jet would cost $50 million and replace one of the two Gulfstream aircraft already available to you,” wrote Representatives Bennie Thompson and LaMonica McIver in a formal letter to Noem. “Funding this new aircraft would come at the expense of vital Coast Guard priorities, including the urgent modernization of aging aircraft used in life-saving search and rescue operations.”

They warned, “Your decision to purchase this jet would directly reduce the availability of essential Coast Guard aircraft for critical missions.”

The jet, buried as a line item in the U.S. Coast Guard’s budget, has been fiercely defended by Noem—dubbed “Fascist Barbie” by critics—even as Republicans push devastating Medicaid cuts and balloon the deficit through reckless tax breaks for the wealthy.

In their letter, Thompson and McIver demanded a full accounting of Noem’s travel aboard existing jets and a list of all Coast Guard aircraft with earlier expiration dates than the ones she uses—highlighting the skewed priorities under her leadership.

This isn’t an isolated case. Trump himself is embroiled in controversy after reportedly accepting a $180 million luxury jet from Qatar—a move that reeks of corruption and cronyism.

All this unfolds while average Americans are left to bear the burden of rising prices, economic volatility, and the fallout of Trump’s erratic trade policies. The message from this administration seems clear: private jets for the elite, coach seats and chaos for the rest of us.