Noem burning deportation cash on luxury jets

Secretary Kristi Noem's plan to use border funds for an almost $300 million luxury jet fleet has "horrified" top Trump officials, Axios has learned.

Until last year, DHS owned zero luxury jets. Soon it could have three.

The acquisition comes as the Trump administration is under fire for a historic government shutdown and is aggressively seeking funds to fuel its mass deportation "Operation Aurora."

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is redirecting roughly $290 million originally earmarked for "border security and enforcement operations", which includes deportation flights, to purchase and outfitting three Gulfstream G700 jets.

The G700 is one of the world's most expensive and luxurious private aircraft, featuring up to five living areas and a master suite with a bed and shower.

The move has created a rift within the West Wing. While Noem argues the jets are necessary for "secure, long-range command and control," some of President Trump’s closest advisors are "livid," a source familiar with the matter told Axios.

"We are fighting for every penny to get the deportation planes in the air, and she’s buying flying penthouses for herself," said one senior administration official. "It’s a massive optics failure during a shutdown."

Last October, Noem drew fire from House Democrats for using $172 million in taxpayer money to purchase the first two Gulfstream jets while the government was shuttered.

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee, called the move "blatantly immoral" at the time.

This latest $120 million addition for a third jet and custom "communications upgrades" brings the total fleet cost to nearly $300 million.

In a statement to Axios, a DHS spokesperson defended the purchase, saying the Secretary requires "state-of-the-art, secure communications that only these platforms can provide" to manage national security crises while in transit.

The spokesperson added that the older Coast Guard aircraft currently in use are "at the end of their service life" and "unsafe for long-haul international missions."

House Appropriators are expected to grill Noem on the purchase during upcoming budget hearings. Critics say the move contradicts the administration’s "efficiency" mantra led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s DOGE.