Democratic Senators Press Homeland Security on Questionable $464M Jet Acquisition

Three Democratic senators sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday, requesting detailed information regarding the agency’s $464 million purchase of 10 used aircraft.

The agency acquired the aircraft through a no-bid contract, citing urgent need for deportation flights and stating it lacked time to evaluate alternative sellers. Beginning in January, the procurement included seven Boeing 737 passenger jets and three luxury business jets, all sourced from Daedalus Aviation Corporation, a Northern Virginia firm with no prior federal contracting history.

However, reporting from The Times earlier this month revealed the department has barely utilized its new fleet. The agency has already attempted to loan or lease two of the luxury jets to other government agencies, while the Boeing 737s have remained idle for months at the Lake Charles, Louisiana airport.

In the letter, Senators Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Peter Welch of Vermont, and Adam Schiff of California requested that the department produce records of communications between Daedalus Aviation Corporation and both current and former Homeland Security leadership.

Senators also sought flight records and passenger manifests, as well as an explanation for the agency’s selection of Daedalus, which lacked its own federal contract history despite having served as a subcontractor previously.

“The accumulation of idle aircraft compounds the taxpayer financial loss resulting from the department’s rushed, no-bid procurement of these jets,” the senators wrote in their correspondence.

The Department of Homeland Security had not yet responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.

Earlier this month, the department informed The Times that the aircraft purchase had been approved by former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who was dismissed by President Trump in March. The agency also stated that two of the 10 jets would be deployed for deportation flights during the current month.

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