Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has come under fire for spending more than $300 million on three luxury private jets to fly her around the world, using money Congress appropriated for border security, Axios reports.Ross Vaught, director of the Office of Management and Budget, previously expressed concerns about Noem’s spending on private jets.When Noem criticized, he said: “These pictures are not accurate if you are referring to the aircraft that the Department of Homeland Security purchases. We use them for long-range command and control.”
The controversy highlighted ongoing tensions between the White House and Democrats over funding for the Department of Homeland Security and raised questions about government accountability and use of public funds during a time of budget constraints and competing priorities, the Nation Today reported.
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The Axios report said Noem spent more than $300 million on three luxury private jets, including a Boeing 737 MAX 8 business jet, despite money allocated by Congress for border security. The report said the scandal came amid a budget battle between the White House and Democrats over funding for the Department of Homeland Security.In October 2025, Noem was awarded $170 million to cover the cost of two Gulfstream G700 jets.Last week, Noem’s luxury private jet was mocked for its “exceptional interior” and resemblance to Austin Powers’ “shaggy plane.”
Bennie Thompson, the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, called Noem’s spending “grossly inappropriate,” “grossly unethical” and “possibly illegal.”The head of the watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense questioned whether Noem’s request for a new private jet was a “planned alternative” or a “top-down decision” to acquire a “new luxury jet.”The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Noem to continue using private jets.
