On October 18, WASHINGTON – Democrats in Congress criticized the Trump administration's choice to purchase two Gulfstream G700 jets for $172 million during the ongoing government shutdown. These jets will be used by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other senior officials.

The U.S. Coast Guard entered into a contract on Friday to buy the jets, as reported by a government contracting website. These jets are intended for the Coast Guard’s Long Range Command Control fleet.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that the new jets are essential because they currently depend on a Gulfstream CG-101 G550 jet that is over 20 years old, which is beyond its service life and has exceeded operational hours for a corporate aircraft.

The department emphasized that they would not let the federal shutdown interfere with replacing the jet, but Democrats are questioning the source of the funding.

In a letter to Noem, Democratic Representatives Rosa DeLauro and Lauren Underwood wrote, “Your first priority should be to organize, train, and equip a Coast Guard capable of meeting today’s mission requirements. Instead, it seems your priority is your own comfort.”

This week, DHS announced it would continue to pay more than 70,000 sworn police officers, including TSA air marshals, but not the 50,000 TSA security personnel who work at airport checkpoints.

Representative Bennie Thompson, the lead Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee, called for an investigation into the purchase. He stated, “Such spending is blatantly immoral — and probably illegal — and Congress must investigate.”

Thompson pointed out that Congress had rejected a DHS request for a $50 million jet earlier this year and highlighted that Coast Guard members are currently using some crucial aircraft that date back to the 1980s.

This news was first reported by Bloomberg Government.