Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Ohio) criticized Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem on Wednesday, stating that the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security — on which Underwood serves as the ranking member — received a last-minute addition to the Coast Guard’s spending plan: $50 million for a new Gulfstream V jet intended for Noem’s personal use.
"She already has a Gulfstream 5, by the way, but she wants a new one paid for with your taxpayer dollars. We should be investing in our national security and improving the lives of our Coasties – not wasting taxpayer dollars on luxury travel and political stunts," Underwood wrote in a post on the social platform X.
Reacting to her post, former DHS spokesperson Alex Howard said in an X post: "This isn’t a spend plan — it’s a shopping spree. While Coasties fix ships with duct tape, Noem’s ordering her second Gulfstream like she’s replacing a stolen handbag. DHS under MAGA is less about homeland security, more about homeland celebrity."
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Bloomberg columnist Matthew Yglesias wrote: "Should just ask Qatar to buy her one."
"Kristi Noem doesn't need ANOTHER plane to do even more photo ops and costume changes. She's already spending taxpayer money so fast this year the Department is about to be broke," said a post from House Homeland Security Committee Democrat's official account, quoting Underwood's post.
Political commentator Fred Wellman wrote: "Of course. She wants a better private jet for her stunts."
Earlier on Wednesday, Noem testified before the House Committee on Homeland Security, where several Democratic members questioned her sharply.
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According to Rolling Stone, she was challenged on a number of controversies that occurred during her tenure leading DHS. These included her alleged withholding of congressionally approved funds, the continued detention of Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvador despite several court rulings, and her refusal to admit that a manipulated image was used to support Abrego Garcia's deportation, among other issues.