Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wants to spend $50 million of the Coast Guard budget on a private jet to fly her around, and Democrats who are usually happy to spend more on anything suddenly have a problem with it.

Top Democrat on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security Lauren Underwood (D-IL) was incredulous that the request for the jet “had never been requested or even mentioned before.”

“I was horrified last Friday when we received a last minute addition to your spend plan for fiscal ’25, a new $50 million Gulfstream 5 for Secretary Noem’s personal travel coming from the Coast Guard budget. She already has a Gulfstream 5, by the way, this is a new one,” Underwood said during a Wednesday hearing.

But DHS said that the jet Noem currently uses is about to become obsolete and the purchase was needed.

A matter of military readiness

“The current CG-101 G550 is over twenty years old, outside of Gulfstream’s service life, and well beyond operational usage hours for a corporate aircraft,” Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs, said in a statement.

“This is a matter of safety. Much like the Coast Guard’s ships that are well beyond their service life and safe operational usage, Coast Guard’s aircraft are too,” she added. “This Administration is taking action to restore our Nation’s finest maritime Armed Service to a capable fighting force.”

“It’s old, and it’s approaching obsolescence and the end of its service life, the avionics are increasingly obsolete, the communications are increasingly unreliable, and it’s in need of recapitalization, like much of the rest of the fleet,” Coast Guard Adm. Kevin Lunday said.

“But this aircraft is necessary to provide the secretary, the deputy secretary, me as the acting commandant, the acting vice and our two area commanders with secure, reliable on demand communications and movement,” he continued.

A "free" jet?

Noem's request comes days after President Donald Trump announced that the Department of Defense will be getting a $400 million jet from Qatar and will use it as Air Force One until Boeing delivers on a new one.

The legality of Trump taking a plane from Qatar is in question by many on both sides of the political aisle, but Trump's acolytes insist it is perfectly legal.

"Any gift given by a foreign government is always accepted in full compliance with all applicable laws," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

For his part, Trump said the country would be "stupid" to turn down the gift, event though many other Republicans pointed out that Qatar is a sponsor of terrorism in the Middle East.

While the jet is being given to the country, not to Trump directly, Trump said it will be donated to his presidential library after his term ends.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said the gift could give the "appearance of impropriety" even if it wasn't actually improper. Not that Trump cares about that.