DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Wants $50 Million For New Gulfstream Jet

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Alessio AtriaMay 17, 2025, 10:03 pmNews >

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem has requested $50 million for a new private jet.

Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Illinois) revealed the news during a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security hearing on May 14.

“I was horrified last Friday when we received a last-minute addition to your spend plan for fiscal [year] ’25: A new $50 million Gulfstream 5 for Secretary Noem’s personal travel coming from the Coast Guard budget,” Underwood said to acting Coast Guard Chief Admiral Kevin Lunday. “She already has a Gulfstream 5, by the way. This is a new one.

“And so, admiral, I have just one question for you here. Have you received any outreach requests or any other communication from anyone above you at DHS or any political appointee in the Trump administration regarding a new plane for the secretary?”

Lunday responded to the Illinois congresswoman by evading her question.

“Ranking member Underwood,” he stated. “So, first of all, thank you for the support of the committee and the continuing resolution for ’25. And as part of that spend plan to address the needs of our service members and their families, we’re able to provide that, covered the pay raise for military and civilian personnel, including a targeted pay raise for our junior enlisted personnel, which was essential, you had asked about the military command and control aircraft.

“So, first of all, meeting the needs of our Coast Guard men and women that are doing frontline operations is my top operational priority, and it’s a top operational priority of the secretary. She’s been clear with that to me, and I know she testified to that effect before the subcommittee last week.

“The older one is a C37 Alpha variant, and like a lot of the rest of our operational aviation fleet and our cutters and our boats and our shore facilities, 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.

“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 to go forward, visit our operating forces conducting the missions, and then come back here to Washington and make sure we can work together to get them what they need.”

Underwood responded: “Mr. Chairman, my time’s expired. I just want to note that I didn’t hear the admiral answer the question about whether he was directed to purchase this new Gulfstream 5, and I just want to note that as I conclude my time.”

In late March, Noem was slammed on social media for wearing a $59,500 gold Rolex Cosmograph Daytona watch while visiting the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), a prison about 47 miles southeast of El Salvador’s capital, San Salvador.

Late last month, the DHS secretary took an ATV joyride for a photo op, marking President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office during his second presidential term.