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Senate Republicans have blocked an effort by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to pass legislation that would prevent a foreign-owned aircraft from being used as Air Force One.
Some shit you should know before you read: If you’re unaware, roughly two weeks ago, news broke that Qatar was moving to gift a $400 million luxury Boeing 747-8 jet to the US, intended for use as a temporary Air Force One amid delays in Boeing’s official presidential aircraft program. President Donald Trump has advocated for using the Qatari aircraft due to significant setbacks in the delivery of the two new Air Force One planes (military versions of the Boeing 747-8). Those replacements, contracted with Boeing, are not expected to be delivered before 2027 due to a combination of production delays and cost overruns.
Last week, Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani publicly confirmed the gift, stressing that it was made “in full transparency and very legally.” Two days ago, the Pentagon formally accepted the aircraft, with chief spokesperson Sean Parnell stating the Department of Defense would now ensure all security and mission-specific requirements are met for transporting the president. Estimates suggest the retrofitting could cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, potentially exceeding the plane’s original $400 million value.
What’s going on now: In a notable development, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s effort to block the use of a foreign aircraft as Air Force One was shut down by Senate Republicans on Wednesday. Schumer introduced the Presidential Airlift Security Act, a bill designed to prohibit the Department of Defense from spending “even a single taxpayer dollar” to procure, modify, retrofit, or maintain any foreign aircraft for the purpose of transporting President Trump.
On the Senate floor, Schumer argued the legislation was necessary to protect national security and prevent what he described as blatant corruption. “This gift is outrageous,” Schumer said, calling it “the largest foreign gift to an American president in modern history, one Donald Trump says will go to his presidential library after his term.” He went further, saying the gift “screams national security risk. It is bribery in broad daylight. Donald Trump is thumbing his nose at Republicans and practically daring them to stop him.”
Despite Schumer’s rhetoric, the bill failed to advance after it was blocked by Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS). Following this, Schumer blasted Republicans on social media, stating: “It’s a bribe. It’s a national security threat. But Republicans stood with Trump and blocked my bill. THAT’S NOT AMERICA FIRST.”
This all comes as bipartisan concern grows among lawmakers over the potential national security implications of accepting a foreign aircraft to serve as Air Force One. While top Democrats have slammed the move as corruption, the issue has also raised alarms about espionage risks on both sides of the aisle. Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) warned the plane “would pose immense counterintelligence risks by granting a foreign nation potential access to sensitive systems and communications.”
However, some Republicans have dismissed the espionage concerns as exaggerated. Supporters close to President Trump argue that the aircraft will be fully dismantled and rebuilt by the Department of Defense during the retrofit process, which would eliminate any foreign systems or vulnerabilities.
