Senate Democratic appropriators are pressing the Department of Homeland Security over its purchase of 12 aircraft, including Gulfstream G650s and Boeing 737s, and are seeking records on how the fleet is being used. The move centres on whether the department has the authority to buy aircraft for executive travel, after reporting indicated some of the jets have already been assigned to senior government figures in Washington, D.C.
Sens. Patty Murray and Chris Murphy want contract terms, flight logs, lease arrangements, retrofit details and cost analyses for the aircraft, which they describe as a mix of luxury business jets and passenger-configured Boeing models. One Gulfstream has reportedly been leased to the FBI for Director Kash Patel’s travel, while another is being retrofitted for potential use by border czar Tom Homan and other officials.
The senators argue that Congress never authorised DHS to create a private-style transport fleet and are questioning whether the purchases, funded through legislation tied to the administration’s deportation agenda, were lawful. The fleet is also understood to include Boeing 737s intended for deportation flights and possible use for congressional delegations, raising further questions about mission use and taxpayer cost.