Congress Orders Eight Elite Gulfstream G550 and Boeing Jets Valued at $550 Million

UPDATE

It seems as though some of our congressional leaders are oblivious to the opinions their constituents, at least whenever it concerns them. Bipartisan opposition is growing in the Senate to a plan by House lawmakers to spend $550 million for additional passenger jets for senior government officials, up from the earlier estimate of $200 million and to now purchase eight Gulfstream and Boeing jets instead of three.

The plan to upgrade the fleet of government jets, which was included in a broader defense-funding bill, has also sparked criticism from the Pentagon, which has said it doesn't need half of the new jets. This is just reckless spending and doesn't help the country recover from the worst financial downturn in its history. The bottom line is that the cynicism in Washington D.C. is certainly not misplaced but well founded.

The Obama administration had sought approximately $220 million to buy four passenger jets, including two that are currently being leased by the Air Force, to replace a fleet of older planes. Before leaving town for the August break, House lawmakers doubled the aircraft order to eight, at a total cost of $550 million. I am disappointed that the Obama administration would promise such an enormous price tag, considering that the President said he would cut the waste in government spending. This isn't what I had hoped for when I voted for President Obama.

While the majority of Americans are feeling the pinch of the economic turmoil we are in and besides the fact that last year Congress excoriated the CEOs of the Big Three automakers for traveling to Washington, D.C., by private jet to attend a hearing about a possible bailout of their companies, what have they done? The House has reportedly approved nearly $200 million for the Air Force to buy three elite Gulfstream 550 jets for ferrying top government officials and Members of Congress. I don't expect them to fly in coach, but do they really need a Gulfstream jet? I hardly think so.

The Air Force had asked for one Gulfstream 550 jet (price tag: about $65 million) as part of an ongoing upgrade of its passenger air service. But the House Appropriations Committee, at its own initiative, added to the 2010 Defense appropriations bill another $132 million for two more airplanes and specified that they be assigned to the D.C.-area units that carry Members of Congress, military brass and top government officials.

Because the Appropriations Committee viewed the additional aircraft as an expansion of an existing Defense Department program, it did not treat the money for two more planes as an earmark, and the legislation does not disclose which Member had requested the additional money. An Appropriations Committee staffer said the military was already planning to replace its passenger fleet, and the committee “looked at the request and decided they should speed up the replacement.” Source: Roll Call

As someone who lives in Georgia, I was appalled to learn that Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.), who is in the Second Congressional district, had submitted a request to the Appropriations Committee for a $70 million earmark for one airplane on behalf of Georgia-based Gulfstream, and Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) lists the airplane as one of the earmarks that he was asked to request, though his office said he never made the request to the Appropriations Committee. I am sure Rep. Bishop knows that Georgia's unemployment stands at 10.1% and still climbing. The last thing we want from him is to push legislation for a private jet. His constituents need to take note of this and remember his actions when he comes up for reelection.

Air Force spokesman Vincent King told Roll Call: “This line item provides funding to purchase C-37 aircraft. The C-37 is the military variant of the commercial Gulfstream 550 executive jet. C-37s provide executive airlift for senior U.S. government officials including Congress and combatant commanders.” The language of the appropriations bill specifies that of the three aircraft, the Air Force will provide “one aircraft each for the 201st Airlift Squadron and the 89th Airlift Wing.” Both are based out of Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. Source: Roll Call

The Gulfstream G550 is a luxury business jet, which the company advertises as featuring long-range flight capacity that “easily links Washington, D.C., with Dubai, London with Singapore and Tokyo with Paris.” This is the typical BS that comes from our elected officials, no matter which political side of the aisle they are on. It's time we hold them accountable for their wasteful spending, in much the same way as they held the CEOs of the Big Three automakers accountable for their actions.