الوصف
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., asked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday if he would commit to President Donald Trump not taking the new Air Force One plane donated by Qatar with him when he leaves office. He also asked Hegseth to disclose publicly the amount of money the Defense Department has spent on upgrading the plane.
The jet has been the source of controversy and concern. Lawmakers and ethics experts have raised questions about the gift. Recently, the Justice Department subpoenaed several New York Times journalists who reported that the plane lacked advanced security features.
Murphy said reports “suggest that maybe as much as $1 billion in your base funding, an extraordinary amount of money, has been used for an upgrade and the plane is back in the shop for a second upgrade.”
On whether he would make public the sum spent on the jet, Hegseth said he “would imagine as part of the regular budget process, that's something that we would look at.”
Whether Trump takes the plane after he leaves office is “not a decision” for him to make, Hegseth said.
The defense secretary, Gen. Dan Caine, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins testified Tuesday before the Senate Appropriations Committee about the Trump administration’s $87.6 billion supplemental funding request, the bulk of which would be used for the U.S. war with Iran.
Their appearance before Senate lawmakers comes after the U.S. rolled out its 10th consecutive night of strikes against Iran. At least three American service members have been killed in recent days. As war between the two nations intensifies, the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, forcing U.S. gas prices to jump again.
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