Merkley, Wyden Demand Answers on Misuse of Federal Resources After Rushed, Costly Retrofit Job of Trump’s Luxury Jet

Merkley, Wyden Demand Answers on Misuse of Federal Resources After Rushed, Costly Retrofit Job of Trump’s Luxury Jet July 10, 2026 Last week, Secret Service questioned the security of the gifted aircraft’s retrofit WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined a dozen of their Senate colleagues in demanding transparency into the taxpayer-funded modification of the $400-million luxury jet gifted to President Trump by the government of Qatar. Since Trump announced the gift in May 2025, the Trump Administration has refused to provide Congress with basic details about the costs to taxpayers, national security risks, diversion of federal resources, and questionable decision-making process associated with sprinting to upgrade President Trump’s new luxury plane. In the letter to Secretary of the U.S. Air Force Troy E. Meink and CEO of L3Harris Christopher Kubasik, the Senators note that available public reporting indicates the Trump Administration dedicated as much as $1 billion to rushing the sensitive Air Force One modification process, with hundreds working around the clock to condense a yearslong process into just ten months. The Senators’ letter demands answers on this irresponsible use of federal resources. “Americans deserve answers on how the administration has decided to spend their taxpayer dollars and assume new national security risks with the VC-25B Bridge aircraft and the rushed retrofit program contracted to L3Harris – all in service to President Trump’s interest in having a pretty, luxurious plane for himself,” the Senators wrote. The Senators called out the Trump Administration for withholding information from Congress, preventing oversight of the luxury jet and its upgrade program: “For over a year, the administration has stonewalled congressional requests for information about Qatar’s luxury jet gift to President Trump. Congress and the American public have expressed due outrage about this corrupt, illegal exchange, but Pentagon officials have mostly deflected questions or claimed inability to share classified details about the luxury jet, the memorandum of understanding with Qatar, and the program to modify it for use by the President. The Trump administration has refused to share the information Congress needs to conduct oversight of this foreign gift and the estimated $1 billion in taxpayer dollars spent to upgrade and outfit the luxury jet for President Trump’s use during – and reportedly after – his term in office.” They highlighted new reporting that indicates the luxury jet project has been another hotbed for corruption and misuse of taxpayer dollars: “After months of limited public information about the jet, new reporting has deepened concerns about the administration’s irresponsible management of U.S. national security funding to prioritize President Trump’s personal interest in this jet. In a Breaking Defense interview on June 23, L3Harris executive Jason Lambert reported that the company was contracted by the Air Force to oversee the jet’s modifications, with a deadline of July 4, 2026, from the White House. This timeline drove L3Harris to scale back the usual Air Force One upgrade package while committing 400 employees to working around the clock to complete in ten months a process that would normally take years. This accelerated luxury jet upgrade required other large expenses, including building a 3D mockup of the plane’s interior and the leasing and purchase of additional 747 aircraft for pilot and crew training.” The Senators objected strongly to the Trump administration decision to shift resources away from national security priorities just so President Trump could enjoy luxury flying as soon as possible: “The Air Force seems to have committed to a rushed, expensive aircraft modification program in order to meet President Trump’s demand to fly on ‘the world’s most luxurious plane,’ with his favored paint job, during Independence Day festivities. Trump’s own statements – including his celebration of ‘a level of luxury that nobody’s ever seen before’ – make it clear that these decisions prioritized Trump’s personal comfort and tastes over U.S. national security.” The Senators concluded by calling for a congressional briefing and demanding full transparency from the Secretary of the Air Force and the Pentagon contractor responsible for the project: “Congress needs full information about program costs, the diversion of resources away from other Pentagon priorities, and the national security and funding implications of upgrades skipped during the rush. The American public deserves transparency into this costly and questionable modification work – conducted with their taxpayer dollars on a luxury jet that President Trump reportedly plans to take with him after he leaves office.” The letter was led by Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) and was signed by Merkley, Wyden, and ten Democratic Senators. A full text of the letter is available below or by clicking here .