On Thursday, Republicans in the Senate Appropriations Committee turned down what Democrats referred to as an “ivol” amendment aimed at preventing President Trump from taking possession of a luxury jet from Qatar, which he allegedly plans to use as presidential transport post-presidency.
The committee voted 15-14 against adopting the amendment while reviewing the annual Defense Funds Bill.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a senior member involved in budgeting, proposed amendments that aimed to restrict funds that would allow the transfer of “registered bodies to non-governmental organizations under foreign registration” until the jet had served as presidential transport through the end of the day.
During the session, Murphy referenced a recent report concerning the hefty costs of upgrading a Boeing 747-8, which had previously been associated with the Qatari royal family.
“We’re talking about a significant amount of money being spent on plane upgrades that will likely only be used for a short time. Some estimates suggest this could easily reach $1 billion,” he noted.
“For most Americans, that’s an excessive expenditure for planes that probably won’t be in service for more than a few months, given they’re supposed to take this plane once the president is in office.”
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who leads the subcommittee responsible for the Pentagon funding bill, quickly dismissed Murphy’s statements. He urged the senator not to indulge in speculation and rumors about long-term plans.
“Before you proceed with such actions, you need to clarify the long-term disposal strategy. This isn’t an urgent matter. The amendment appears more like political theater to me,” he stated, suggesting it would be more appropriate to address it as part of the upcoming National Defense Authorization Act.
In response, Sen. John Ossoff (D-Ga.) insisted that Murphy’s remarks about the president’s intentions were based on more than mere speculation.
“To counter the claim that this is simply poison, as suggested, it seems the Senate is rejecting Pentagon funds. If that’s the case, I want to grasp why this is such a critical point,” he said.
The amendment sought to prevent funding for the operation or modification of the jet after a previous clash over a measure proposed by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.).
This discussion resurfaced following reports indicating that the administration plans to transfer the jet to Trump’s library once his term concludes.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), a key figure in spending matters, stated that the president was merely joking about the jet moving to his library.
“The president never explicitly said he would keep it in his library; it was just a joke,” he remarked.
However, Murphy pointed out that on May 12, the president commented that the jet would be headed to his presidential library after his term, implying it didn’t seem to be just a jest.
