The Department of Homeland Security has signed a $172 million contract to buy two top-of-the-line private jets for use by Secretary Kristi Noem and other leaders, reports say, amid a lengthy government shutdown threatening crucial services for everyday Americans.
The purchase is for two Gulfstream G700 jets, which are advertised by the company as planes with the “most spacious cabin in the industry,” the New York Times reported . A record of the sale, by the Coast Guard, was posted on the government’s federal procurement website on Friday.
The Washington Post also reported on the sale, but cited documents saying that the sale totalled $200 million.
The jets are slated to be used by Noem, who has faced scrutiny for her frequent use of Coast Guard resources, and other top DHS off