The government is still shut down because congressional Republicans say there isn’t enough money to help Americans afford their health insurance premiums. But don’t worry, there are hundreds of millions of dollars to purchase not one but two private jets to shuttle around Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to her evil immigration stunts.
The New York Times reported Saturday that the Department of Homeland Security spent a whopping $172 million on two Gulfstream G700 jets, which feature “aviation’s most spacious and flexible interior” with “handcrafted seats” that “convert into ergonomic beds for exceptional comfort on ultralong-range flights” and a “grand suite with shower, to create your ideal flight experience.”
Sounds nice.
Homeland Security Secretary cosplays as a member of the U.S. Coast Guard.
The spending on the new private jets comes as the Trump administration fires thousands of federal workers, saying the government is too big and that the country doesn’t have the funds to sustain it. Similarly, the GOP is refusing to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies, which will cause millions of Americans to see their premiums more than double.
Meanwhile, Republicans have already made massive cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, which will hurt the poorest Americans who are struggling with inflation—which continues to rise thanks to President Donald Trump’s idiotic tariffs.
Noem, for her part, tried to defend the purchase of the two luxury aircraft on Monday, saying that the former jets she used to torment immigrants were just too old.
“These aircraft are Coast Guard aircraft to replace 25-year-old airplanes that are necessary for the mission of the Coast Guard. Congress appropriated the dollars and paid for them in the ‘Big, Beautiful Bill,’ and we’re grateful that we’re able to move forward,” she said at a news conference.
But the price tag for the two jets is leaps and bounds higher than what she initially asked for back in May, when she requested Congress give her $50 million to purchase one private jet for her cosplay antics. It’s unclear why she now needs two jets and why they cost nearly double what she previously asked for.
This isn’t the first time that Noem has used taxpayer funds to better her own lifestyle.
She has been living rent-free in a Coast Guard residence meant for the top admiral, and she’s spent millions on fascist ad campaigns vilifying immigrants and Democrats— who are slamming Noem for spending so lavishly on private jets.
“Your first priority should be to organize, train and equip a Coast Guard that is strong enough to meet today’s mission requirements. Instead, it appears your first priority is your own comfort,” Democratic Reps. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut and Lauren Underwood of Illinois wrote in a letter to Noem.
Homeland Security Secretary cosplays as a firefighter.
And Democratic Rep. Jimmy Gomez of California called out the GOP’s hypocrisy in keeping the government shut down while spending so much money on Noem’s private jets.
“Can’t pay federal workers. Can’t reopen the government. But sure, let’s buy Kristi Noem TWO private jets. Republicans have lost absolutely all touch with reality,” he wrote on X.
But Noem isn’t the only member of the Trump administration who’s abusing taxpayer funds on vanity projects.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spent untold millions to force every general to fly to Washington, D.C., to watch him deliver a tough-guy speech that he could blast out on social media to make him look cool.
And Trump himself has spent millions on a lame military parade on his birthday, a paved-over White House Rose Garden where he can host his rich buddies who line his pockets in exchange for favorable treatment, and even new coins with his hideous face on them—even though that’s against the law.
The Trump administration is spending your tax dollars on themselves, all while claiming that there’s no money to help you afford food or health care.
