DHS head Kristi Noem was left dumbfounded during an intense grilling session when she was shown a photo of a luxurious bedroom on a plane that the Department of Homeland Security had allegedly purchased.
The awkward moment came as Noem sat before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday to discuss her role as DHS head. “Could you explain this?” Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat from Rhode Island, asked Noem as the image was held up by a staffer.
Noem responded to the question with a “Yes, sir” before Whitehouse continued, “You’re not familiar with that? These photos are not accurate.”
“If you’re referring to the airplanes that the Department of Homeland Security has purchased and are purchasing, we’re using them for long-range command and control aircraft,” Noem attempted to explain. According to Noem, the plane is “dictated in statute by Congress for the Department of Homeland Security to have a plane.”
“So you did not use a luxury jet with a bedroom in it?” Whitehouse further questioned. “We used a 737. I’ve been on it once, but it is being used by other administration officials, and it is used for command and control flights for the department,” Noem retorted.
“The department has found that in purchasing our aircraft, we will save the taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars,” she reiterated. Whitehouse was not pleased with the answer.
“Does it have a bedroom in it?” Whitehouse pressed. Of course, Noem responded with the line “we spent $1.42 billion on ICE deportation flights last year.”
“Does it have a bedroom in it?” Whitehouse pushed. “I believe it’s being refurbished and not having a bedroom in it,” Noem answered.
“So it is being refurbished. What kind of deportee justifies being flown out of the country in a luxury jet a bedroom and accommodations like this?” Noem seemingly side-stepped the question by commenting that the planes are “being purchased that will be utilized for executive air travel and for deportations.”
“If you remember in the past, we have used… jets of this size in this configuration, for deportations,” Noem added. Once again, Whitehouse seemed displeased with the answer.
It comes as several Trump officials have expressed their displeasure with Noem’s luxury purchase(Image: X)
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“By this configuration, you mean I didn’t see the inside of the accommodations like this,” he snidely remarked. It comes as several Trump officials have expressed their displeasure with Noem’s luxury purchase.
“This is the world’s worst deal to buy an aircraft,” an anonymous senior administration official told Axios. Another source told the publication that OMB Director Russell Vought, whose office is responsible for approving such an expense, expressed concerns about the jet.
DHS claimed it was only leasing the planes, but a spokesperson said it would be cheaper to purchase them. “This new plane will serve dual missions— both as ICE deportation flights and for cabinet-level travel,” the DHS spokesperson said to NBC.
“This plane flies at 40% cheaper than what the military aircraft flies for ICE deportation flights—saving the American taxpayer hundreds of millions of dollars,” they added. “This is part of Secretary Noem’s broader efforts to clamp down on inefficiencies and save taxpayer dollars.”
