Diyar Guldogan
20 May 2025•Update: 20 May 2025
WASHINGTON
US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer unveiled legislation Monday that would block President Donald Trump from using a luxury jet offered by Qatar to serve as Air Force One.
Named the “Presidential Airlift Security Act of 2025,” the bill would prevent the Department of Defense from using any funds to procure, modify, restore or maintain aircraft previously owned by foreign governments or their representatives for presidential airlift purposes.
"Donald Trump has shown time and again – he will sell out the American people and the Presidency if it means filling his own pockets," Schumer said in a statement.
"Not only would it take billions of taxpayer dollars to even attempt to retrofit and secure this plane, but there’s absolutely no amount of modifications that can guarantee it will be secure. It is now on the Senate to prioritize our national security, protect Americans, and ensure that a foreign-owned plane never gets the call sign ‘Air Force One,'" he added.
The bill came after Trump said he would accept the Boeing 747-8 plane to serve as the next Air Force One during his visit last week to the Middle East.
"Only a FOOL would not accept this gift on behalf of our Country," he said on his Truth Social platform.
A group of Senate Democrats said last week that Trump's public statement about accepting the aircraft provides a "dangerous opportunity to exploit for foreign intelligence agencies and adversaries seeking to do harm" to the US.
