WASHINGTON, D.C. October 20, 2025 –
In a blistering video rant that has racked up over 38,000 views overnight, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) accused Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem of splurging $150 million in taxpayer dollars on two “luxury jets” amid skyrocketing costs for everyday Americans and a grinding government shutdown now in its 21st day. Filmed in his ornate Capitol office—complete with a portrait of Ruth Bader Ginsburg looking on—Schumer’s impassioned plea for a Government Accountability Office (GAO) probe positions the controversy as the latest flashpoint in the escalating partisan war over federal spending.
“RIGHT NOW: I’m demanding the GAO investigate Kristi Noem’s private jets,” Schumer declared in the 28-second clip posted to X late Sunday, his voice rising as he gestured emphatically. “Americans are paying more for everything. The government is shut down. But Kristi Noem is buying two luxury jets for herself with taxpayer dollars.” Overlay text in the video hammered home the outrage: “Full Investigation” splashed across frames showing Schumer decrying “electricity prices through the roof,” “groceries costing more and more,” and “healthcare premiums almost unaffordable for millions.”
The post, which has drawn 668 likes, 257 reposts, and a torrent of replies, arrives as President Donald J. Trump’s White House hosts Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for a $3 billion critical minerals signing—deals that Republicans tout as economic lifelines even as non-essential services grind to a halt. Schumer’s salvo reframes the shutdown narrative, shifting blame from Democratic “obstruction” (as House Speaker Mike Johnson labeled it) to alleged GOP fiscal hypocrisy.
A ‘Tone-Deaf’ Purchase: G700 Jets Under Fire
At issue are two Gulfstream G700 aircraft, the crown jewel of private aviation with a list price exceeding $75 million each, boasting the “most legroom of any private jet” according to manufacturer specs. Approved by Noem’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) last week, the jets are ostensibly for Coast Guard operations, replacing a fleet of 25-year-old C-37A aircraft used for maritime surveillance and executive transport.
Critics, led by Schumer, slam the acquisition as executive excess: The G700 features lie-flat beds, gourmet galleys, and Wi-Fi suites more suited to Wall Street boardrooms than border patrols. “What the hell justification is there for buying these during a shutdown?” Schumer thundered in the video, his finger jabbing the air. Democratic allies, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), amplified the call on X, tweeting, “While families skip meals, Trump’s DHS plays airline tycoon. GAO probe NOW.”
DHS insiders defend the move as congressionally mandated modernization. “These aren’t ‘private jets’—they’re essential assets for national security, funded through prior appropriations that Democrats voted for,” a department spokesperson told reporters Monday morning. The purchases, they note, stem from a $1.2 billion aviation upgrade line item in the 2024 defense bill, untouched by the current funding lapse.
Noem Strikes Back: ‘Busy Securing Borders, Not Playing Politics’
South Dakota’s Kristi Noem, a rising star in Trump’s orbit and a fierce border hawk, wasted no time counterpunching. In a statement from DHS headquarters, she portrayed Schumer’s attack as “desperate deflection from the Democrat shutdown that’s furloughing heroes at the front lines.” Echoing replies flooding her X mentions—like one from user @IdahoDaveD declaring, “Kristi Noem has done more in her short term as Secretary of Homeland Security than you have done in your entire career”—Noem highlighted the jets’ role in enhancing Coast Guard interdiction of fentanyl smugglers and hurricane response.
“While Schumer grandstands from his air-conditioned office, I’m replacing rust-buckets that can’t even fly in bad weather,” Noem said during a Fox News hit Tuesday morning. “These planes save lives and secure our sovereignty—exactly what Americans elected us to do.” Her defenders point out the irony: Schumer’s own travel logs show over 200 private flights during his Senate tenure, per public disclosures.
The flap has GOP loyalists circling wagons. House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) fired off a letter to the GAO Monday, preemptively requesting a parallel probe into “Democratic waste” like the $500 million in unspent COVID relief funds. “If Schumer wants investigations, let’s start with his party’s black hole of spending,” Comer posted on X, garnering 12,000 likes.
Shutdown Shadows: Economic Pain Meets Political Theater
The timing couldn’t be more charged. With 800,000 federal workers still unpaid and WIC benefits on the verge of collapse, Schumer’s video taps into raw voter frustration. Polling from Quinnipiac released Tuesday shows 58% of independents blaming “both parties” for the impasse, but Democratic support for a clean CR has ticked up 5 points since Johnson’s latest rejection in the Senate.
Economists warn the jet controversy could amplify the shutdown’s $6 billion weekly hit to GDP. “This isn’t just optics—it’s a symbol of misplaced priorities when veterans wait for checks and parks stay shuttered,” said Mark Zandi of Moody’s Analytics. Advocacy groups like the AFL-CIO are airing ads tying Noem’s jets to “MAGA excess,” while the U.S. Chamber of Commerce urges a bipartisan truce.
As Trump and Albanese ink their minerals pact—unlocking $53 billion in resources and Australian pension investments—Noem’s office confirmed one jet will debut for Indo-Pacific patrols, dovetailing with AUKUS defense boosts. Yet Schumer vows no let-up: “This investigation will expose the rot. End the shutdown, or face the facts.”
With the Senate reconvening Wednesday for a backpay vote, the jet jihad risks derailing fragile talks. For Noem, a potential 2028 contender, it’s a baptism by fire; for Schumer, a high-stakes gamble to reclaim the moral high ground. As one Hill aide quipped, “In D.C., even grounded planes can crash a narrative.”
