Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked a Democratic push to combat the White House’s potential acceptance of a luxury Qatari jet to become the next Air Force One aircraft.
The vote on a resolution disapproving of a Trump administration arms deal with Qatar worth $1.9 billion was triggered by Democrats in response to the news about the plane, which is valued at $400 million and would be handed over as gift. That has angered many Senate Democrats who have likened the transaction to blatant corruption.
The resolution failed 39-56.
“My case is that so long as the relationship is corrupted by the gifts to Trump, we can’t move forward on these arms sales,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) told reporters earlier this week. “There are legitimate underlying policy debates on the two sales, but my case here is you should look beyond the merits of the sale and really focus on the corruption.”
Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), all members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, along with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) joined Murphy in support of the resolution.
The Qatari-owned Boeing jet would be gifted with the intention of using it as Air Force One throughout the remainder of Trump’s term before it would be transferred to his presidential library.
The Qatari arms sale includes eight MQ-9B armed drones and hundreds of tail kits, 500-pound bombs and Hellfire II missiles.
Although Republicans have not joined in the Democratic chorus to intensely criticize the potential transaction, they are not warm to the idea either.
A number of Republicans have indicated they are uneasy with the arrangement due to safety, espionage and practicality concerns. Some have wondered publicly why the plane is even necessary given the vast cost for it to be retrofitted for it to only fly for a short period of time.
The issue cropped up again on Wednesday as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declined to tell senators multiple times about the cost of the jet during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing.
“You will have that number, Senator. It just can’t be talked about in the public,” Hegseth told Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), who was visibly frustrated.
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