Coast Guard Spends $172 Million on Private Jets for Noem's Use

In October 2025, reports revealed the Coast Guard had purchased two Gulfstream G700 jets for a combined cost of roughly $172 million, with a later Washington Post report citing a total contract value closer to $200 million, for use by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other senior officials. The purchase far exceeded an earlier funding request that sought roughly $50 million for a single aircraft.

The expenditure drew scrutiny because it came from a service long criticized as underfunded, with aging cutters and aircraft, and arrived amid a government shutdown. House Appropriations Committee Democrats sent Noem a letter demanding an explanation for the cost increase.

DHS disputed characterizations that the jets were solely for Noem's personal use, saying the aircraft serve the broader Coast Guard mission and officials' safety and mission readiness. The episode became a symbol for critics of misplaced spending priorities inside an agency facing resource constraints elsewhere.