Democratic lawmakers are taking aim at the Supreme Court to curb its rightward shift.
They’ve grown increasingly frustrated by the court, as it has delivered sweeping conservative victories in recent years, erasing decades of progress, including scaling back the 1965 Voting Rights Act, overturning the constitutional right to an abortion, loosening campaign finance rules, and increasing executive power. Some in the party have argued that recent rulings from the high court are more about politics, and less about the interpretation of the law.
“There’s
constant and building dismay about the increasingly appalling record of
the court,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat from Rhode Island, told The Washington Post.
“And I think the continuing interest in reform springs from continued dismay and concern about the court’s misbehavior,” he added.
In response, Democratic lawmakers have introduced several bills in recent months aimed at curbing the Supreme Court amid its rightward shift.
Whitehouse introduced a bill to have term limits for Supreme Court Justices, cutting their lifetime appointment to 18 years. Under that proposal, a president would nominate a justice every other year, in an attempt to maintain an ideological balance on the bench.
'general hospital'?
friday's episode? didn't care for it. can't stand charlotte who is a little bitch, let's be real here. i was hoping she and danny were going to go on the run this summer. they didn't. if they had, it might have helped her to grow up. she needs to. and she needs to stop 'helping' danny by telling him to get something on drew that he can use to blackmail drew with (so that danny can see scout). danny's a pain in the ass but he's more stupid than intentionally cruel the way charlotte is. he's an idiot who drew is right to worry about being around scout because danny's too damn stupid. he's always getting into trouble because he's too stupid.
i also don't care about curtis. he's going to prison? that's what should happen. he never should have attacked isaiah.
so today's episode?
carly talks to the guy who's working for jax and came to port charles to get josslyn to take over jax's company. he says josslyn doesn't want it and she says he has to make her want it.
lucas shows up and reminds her that their mother would not have gotten involved the way carly is getting involved.
prior to showing up at carly's, lucas was at the hospital and bumped into detective fitzgerald. he brought up the softball game and lucas accused him of cheating. they talked about apartments, lucas has found 1. fitz thinks he may have 1 - from the list lucas gave him - he's going to look at it with lucy later today.
lucy is talking to her daughter and is thrilled that jacinda is gone that means michael is available and they can use it to their advantage to get his shares in the company. her daughter says she'll do anything to help her but could they try not to trick michael? fitz calls lucy and says he's gotten some free time earlier than planned and asks if they could go look at the apartment now? lucy agrees to meet him there.
willow moved into the gatehouse on the quartemaine property as michael ordered her too. chase helped her unpack.
tracy told brook lynn that willow was moving in and brook lynn was furious. it's going to destroy her marriage. and she's already got the curtis thing - where she didn't stop to render aid after the accident. tracy told her that she didn't know there was an accident and when brook lynn said chase would leave her if he ever found out, tracy said that only 2 people know - her and brook lynn. and tracy said she's never telling any 1 so unless brook lynn spills the beans, no 1 is going to know.
josslyn asked michael (her 1/2 brother) to go through the resumes that were pulled for her to choose someone to run her dad's company. he eventually agrees to but thinks she should be running it. he also tells her about willow moving in and when josslyn's hostile, michael tells her that's not going to be good for his kids - seeing their aunt and mother fight.
monday's show was better than friday's. if there's another like friday's episode, i'm not covering it. i'm just going to say 'episode not worth mentioning.'
let's close with c.i.'s 'The Snapshot:'
The United States and Iran on Monday missed their 60-day deadline to reach a deal to curtail Iran’s nuclear program under the terms of the cease-fire they agreed to in June, underlining the breakdown of a truce that President Trump promised would end the war.
Mr. Trump had announced the so-called memorandum of understanding between the two countries with great fanfare two months ago. But the short-lived agreement failed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran effectively blockaded after Israel and the United States attacked in late February, or end a conflict that has entered its sixth month.
The South Korean and United States militaries view their annual drills in South Korea as more critical than ever. The stakes have risen dramatically as North Korea has gained battlefield expertise with drones and modern warfare by deploying troops to support Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The summer exercise had barely begun on Monday when President Trump denounced it, dealing yet another blow to the seven-decade-old alliance between Washington and Seoul. Under Mr. Trump, bilateral relations have already come under immense strain from his punishing tariffs on South Korean exports. And his transactional diplomacy has frustrated South Korea, most recently when he appeared to put Saudi Arabia on the path to enriching nuclear fuel on its own soil, a demand Seoul has made for years.
Giulia Carbonaro (NEWSWEEK) reports:
President Donald Trump is asking Americans to accept paying higher gas prices as a patriotic trade-off as the country continues its war against Iran, even as a majority of U.S. adults want the conflict to end—and think the nation should have not gotten into it in the first place, according to polling.
National gas prices in the U.S. have shot up since the start of the war, as disruptions in production and supply due to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz have caused oil prices to skyrocket.
After briefly falling for a week, national gas prices are now climbing again, reaching an average of $4.06 on Sunday, up from $3.94 a month ago and $3.14 a year ago, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA). That means gas prices are nearly 30 percent higher than they were a year ago.
That is more than a dollar higher than it was before the U.S. and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran on February 28, when the national average dipped just below $3, at $2.98. According to GasBuddy’s Patrick De Haan, it is also an unprecedented high for this time of the year.
Now he wants to talk to Americans?
He's never been clear on why he started the war-- he's offered one changing reason after another. But what has remained firm is when and how he announced the war. He did that on February 28th in a pre-recorded video that he released at 2:30 in the morning EST.
That's how he announced the war. Not with a press conference. Not with a live prime time address to the American people. In a pre-taped video that he posted to social media at 2:30 am.
He didn't take it seriously. He didn't take his duties seriously. And now the US remains trapped in this war of choice that is wrecking the US economy.
11 days shy of six months and he suddenly wants to talk to Americans about sacrifice?
New polling shows more than half of voters think they are worse off now than when Joe Biden was president.
President Donald Trump has been battling unpopularity in the polls over his war in Iran and the rising cost of living, and this latest poll, conducted for the Financial Times, found that 53 percent of registered voters felt worse off financially today than they did on Jan. 19, 2025.
Trump, 80, took office on Jan. 20, 2025.
Fifty seven percent of independents, and nearly a quarter of self-identified Republicans, also felt worse off under the current president, the polling by Focaldata found. The poll was conducted among 1,913 registered voters between Aug. 7 and Aug. 10.
In a significant blow to longstanding Republican myth making, the poll found voters were more likely to say they trusted Democrats over Republicans to handle inflation and the cost of living.
Chump has put the economy in the toilet, the American people are struggling with basic bills, he's started the Iran War and that's costing billions and costing lives. And what's he focused on? Glenn Thrush (NEW YORK TIMES) reports:
The U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago has spent the past year investigating a Democratic fund-raising firm once co-owned by the daughter of the judge in President Trump’s hush-money trial in New York, according to court filings and people familiar with the inquiry.
Last August, the U.S. attorney, Andrew S. Boutros of the Northern District of Illinois, directed Authentic Campaigns Inc. to turn over a broad range of internal communications with clients. They included former Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Joseph R. Biden Jr., Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York, Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, and the Democratic National Committee, according to a grand jury subpoena reviewed by The New York Times.
Loren Merchan, the daughter of Juan Merchan, a supreme court judge in Manhattan, was the firm’s vice president until late 2024 and was also on the list. The Merchan family has been a frequent target of Mr. Trump and his allies, who have made unsubstantiated claims that the judge was out to get him and that his daughter profited from accusations aired at the trial.
The trial ended with Mr. Trump’s conviction in 2024, in the midst of his campaign for a second term, on 34 felony counts stemming from his efforts to keep a porn star from publicizing her story of a liaison with him.
Are you getting why the country is in the toilet right now? Chump can't see forward because he's so busy looking back. And he's illegally using -- abusing -- the government to get them to go after the people who held him accountable.
He was held accountable because he broke the law. That's the reality. He's a convict. That's the reality.
And nothing he's going to do or any revenge he's going to try to work will change that.
But in the meantime, instead of focusing on delivering for the American people, he's working his revenge scheme and abusing the government.
If he wants to appeal his convictions, if he wants to relitigate, he needs to do that as a private citizen. He is not allowed to, as president, abuse the government and the process. Some people thought he was joking when he said he'd do one day of vengeance if re-elected. But what's he's done instead is 565 days -- and counting -- of vengeance.
And he's been allowed to do this, these illegal actions have been ignored and/or condoned by Republicans in Congress. This is outrageous. This is an abuse of office. This is the sort of thing that, in a functioning government, leads to impeachment.
KRISTEN WELKER:
We appreciate you being here in person. As we just heard in your address to the Justice Department staff this week, you said you and the DOJ will, quote, “uphold the law without fear or favor.” You of course used to be President Trump’s former personal defense attorney. Can you pledge that the Justice Department will always act independently of the White House?
ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
Well, there’s a big difference between saying we will always do our job and investigate any case and act independently of the White House. No, I’m not going to pledge that. And no attorney general should ever pledge that. The President, I mean, if I were to pledge I will be independent of the White House, what that means is that if President Trump says, “I want the Department of Justice to go after every violent criminal in this country,” which is what he has said, what you’re saying to me is I should say, “No, sir, I’m not going to do it.” So I will act with integrity. Our prosecutors will act with integrity. We will prosecute without fear or any sort of favor. And that’s exactly what we’ve been doing. And that’s what every Department of Justice should do.
Does he understand what it means to act independently? No, I don't believe he does.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Well, I guess, big picture: If the president asks you to do something that you feel crosses an ethical or legal line, would you do it?
ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
The president will never ask me to do something unethical or legal — or illegal. He never has. He never will. And no, I swore to the constitution of the United States like every cabinet secretary has done and like every attorney general before me has done. And so this, this narrative that’s mostly pushed by the left and pushed by the media that the president’s going to pull me aside and ask me to do something illegal is completely a false narrative, not true, will not happen, and hasn’t happened.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Okay. Let’s delve into how you do see your tenure. You appeared with President Trump at the Nassau County Police Academy on Friday. You made some comments that did get a lot of attention. I want to play it and get your reaction on the other side. Take a look.
ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
My administration and my Department of Justice, if anybody touches a federal law enforcement officer in any way inappropriate, we will prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.
KRISTEN WELKER:
And yet, Mr. Attorney General, on President Trump’s first day in office, as you know, he pardoned everyone who attacked the Capitol on January 6th, including 172 people who pleaded guilty to assaulting police officers. How is that consistent with your pledge to always protect law enforcement?
ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
There’s nothing inconsistent about that. The president’s pardon powers, any president’s pardon powers are not limited. So when I say and when this Department of Justice says and when the FBI says, like we’re saying, and every U.S. attorney is saying that if you assault law enforcement, we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law, that is absolutely what President Trump expects, absolutely what I expect of our prosecutors. And that’s completely separate from any president’s ability to pardon.
KRISTEN WELKER:
But he did the opposite of that effectively. I mean, on January 6th police officers were beaten with baseball bats and flagpoles. Do you believe it was wrong to pardon the people who assaulted police officers on January 6th given that you have vowed to protect law enforcement?
ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
Every attorney general vows to protect law enforcement including me. And so I’m not opining or in any way saying what President Trump did is wrong. Absolutely not. By the way, president–
KRISTEN WELKER:
Isn’t it inconsistent with what you said though?
ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
Absolutely not. There’s a difference–
KRISTEN WELKER:
Is it inconsistent with your pledge?
ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
No. There’s a difference, Kristen. We will prosecute anybody. If later a president chooses to pardon that individual, that is the president’s right under our constitution. Do not forget that a few days before President Trump pardoned the individuals associated and who had plead guilty to the conduct on January 6th, President Biden pardoned hundreds and hundreds of criminals, many of whom were quite violent. So that’s his right to do that just like it’s President Trump’s right to do that.
KRISTEN WELKER:
But what message does it send to police officers that people who assaulted them were pardoned?
ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
The message to police officers is consistent and the same every single day which is that we will protect you. And by the way, that’s a little bit interesting coming from a place where we see violent protests breaking out all over the country, in New Jersey, in Minneapolis, in Seattle and California. And instead of there being a full-throated defense by leadership on the Democrat side, on the Republican side, what you have is it’s as if we’re doing something wrong by saying we will protect law enforcement and we will prosecute those who assault law enforcement. We’re not.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Let’s on this issue of January 6th, your confirmation was actually held up over the so-called anti-weaponization fund. I just want to remind folks what that means. That would effectively pay people who felt they were in some ways wronged by the federal government and could have included people who attacked the Capitol on January 6th. You signed a document. You testified under oath that the fund is dead. But President Trump has said he wishes it weren’t. If the president asks you to revive the fund, will you tell him no?
ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
Well, the president has said it’s dead as well. So you can, and as the president has said that he very strongly believes that those that had this Department of Justice weaponized against them should be compensated, he’s going to continue to say that.
KRISTEN WELKER:
He said it’s up to you. He was just asked about it. He said effectively it’s up to you what to do about this.
ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
And I’ve said repeatedly it’s dead. And he has also said it’s dead. He said it in a cabinet meeting with the press there. And so I think it might be enjoyable for the media to continually ask me about whether the fund is really dead. And there is no fund. No money went from the treasury to any account. There were no commissioners established. And so there is no fund. There will be no fund. I’ve said it repeatedly. And the different angles coming almost every time I speak with the media, someone says, “Well, wait is it really dead?” And I say, “Yes, it is.” And then the next interview I give, somebody will say to me, “Is it really dead?” And I promise you I will say, “Yes, it is dead.”
KRISTEN WELKER:
So you’re saying you rule out ever reviving it. But just to be very clear, can you guarantee that under your Department of Justice anyone who attacked the Capitol on January 6th will not receive one dime of taxpayer money if they file a claim against the federal government?
ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
Well, anybody can file a claim against the federal government, not just anybody associated with January 6th. I’m not going to sit here and say on a news program whether a litigation that may or may not happen will result in money. I can’t do that. So what I will say is that there’s a process in place for decades where if somebody that believes they’ve been wronged or a tort has been committed against them by the federal government can seek redress. And, you know, beyond that, I’m not going to comment about hypotheticals and what will happen in any of those cases.
KRISTEN WELKER:
So potentially, they could get paid under another stream of government funding, but not the anti-weaponization fund–
ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
Well, I don’t know. When you say, “They could get paid,” what is their claim? Is it somebody who’s plead guilty–
KRISTEN WELKER:
The Justice Department’s judgment fund.
ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
No, no, no. So, right. But when you say, “They could get paid,” anybody who sues the federal government could get paid. It depends on the facts. It depends on the circumstances. It depends on what it’s alleged the government did. And so I don’t know the circumstances of any hypothetical case. And I’m not going to comment on a hypothetical case today. But there is a process in place where if you believe that you’ve had a tort committed against you by the government, whether it’s slipping on ice outside of a federal post office or a law enforcement officer assaulting you, you are allowed to seek compensation.
New polling shows more than half of voters think they are worse off now than when Joe Biden was president.
President Donald Trump has been battling unpopularity in the polls over his war in Iran and the rising cost of living, and this latest poll, conducted for the Financial Times, found that 53 percent of registered voters felt worse off financially today than they did on Jan. 19, 2025.
Trump, 80, took office on Jan. 20, 2025.
Fifty seven percent of independents, and nearly a quarter of self-identified Republicans, also felt worse off under the current president, the polling by Focaldata found. The poll was conducted among 1,913 registered voters between Aug. 7 and Aug. 10.
In a significant blow to longstanding Republican myth making, the poll found voters were more likely to say they trusted Democrats over Republicans to handle inflation and the cost of living.
Marco Margaritoff (HUFFINGTON POST) reports:
Retired Maj. General Randy Manner on Friday accused President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth of “spewing lies” about the reportedly deplorable conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln and its extended deployment in the Middle East.
Manner joined CNN following reports that U.S. military service members have tried to jump off the aircraft carrier amid an extended stay due to the Iran war.
Hegseth had claimed that the reports “misrepresented” the situation, and Trump had called the deployment “not nearly long enough.”
“I
will tell you unequivocally that [in] all my 36 years of service, if
any Navy chief or non-commissioned officer, or officer, or admiral, or
general had ever said those kind of words, they would have been relieved
within minutes, and I mean that literally,” Manner said about Trump.
He said, “It is totally inappropriate that the commander in chief of our military show continued disdain and disrespect for our military members and for their family. This is unacceptable, whether it’s talking about Gold Star mothers and fathers or … those young men and women.”
And Dan Gooding (NEWSWEEK) notes:
The father of a 20-year-old sailor aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln has condemned President Donald Trump’s war with Iran as a “forever war” and offered to take his son’s place as the aircraft carrier’s deployment stretches beyond 265 days.
Jefferson Kelly, of Cincinnati, Ohio, told Newsweek that his son had joined the Navy enthusiastically, hoping to serve his country and become an engineer, but after the Lincoln was sent to the Middle East, Kelly said the deployment became the realization of a fear he had carried since Trump’s return to the White House.
“I had a feeling that there’s going to be a forever war,” Kelly said. “If there’s going to be any issue, any kind of major engagement or war, they send the aircraft carriers… And that’s exactly what happened.”
Newsweek also spoke with the wife of a higher-ranking officer on board the vessel, who detailed how spouses had been trying to send care packages to the crew after reports of supplies running low and food deteriorating in the spring.
“Well, the care package took 2.5 months to get there. So that was concerning,” Ashley Rogers said. “Now the most recent communications, even with my husband, who snaps into military mode, he just does his job, even he sounds so just defeated, and he has a really hard time getting his guys to cooperate and do their jobs.”
Naval families with loved ones deployed for months on US warships amid the Iran war have reacted with fury to Donald Trump and the defense secretary Pete Hegseth’s dismissal of their concerns about the extreme pressures and dire conditions they are enduring.
The Guardian has talked to three naval families who have been following the physical and mental stresses bearing down on their relatives with mounting alarm. The families, with loved ones on board the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Tripoli, all spoke anonymously for fear of retribution against their active duty relatives.
They spoke of insufficient nourishment that has led to close relatives losing 20-30lbs in weight since they were sent to the Middle East five months ago, leaving one sailor “emaciated”, according to his mother. They spoke also of low-quality drinking water and scarce mental health counseling and support despite the intense burden of being at sea for months on end without making land.
The USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier with more than 5,000 sailors and marines onboard, has been at sea for nearly nine months, having begun its deployment in November. There have been reports of multiple suicide attempts including jumping overboard.
When Trump was asked on Friday whether naval families were worried about conditions on board, he replied: “No, they’re not.” He said that the Lincoln’s deployment, now in its ninth month, was “not nearly long enough”.
Let's wind down with this from Senator Patty Murray's office:
Murray and Murphy Blast Wasteful Spending, Demand Answers
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA),Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Chris Murphy (D-CT), Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee, wrote a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin blasting DHS’ acquisition of 12 new planes—including 5 new luxury jets—and its plans to use those aircraft to ferry Trump administration officials around.
They also sent the letter to the DHS Inspector General, noting that the acquisition and use of the planes merits investigation by his office.
“It has come to our attention that the Department of Homeland Security is effectively running an in-house private jet service for Trump administration officials with a slew of new luxury jets and other airplanes it has acquired and begun providing to officials over the last year,” Murray and Murphy write to Mullin. “This includes providing jet services not only for DHS officials like yourself, but also for White House Border Czar Tom Homan, other administration officials, members of the first family, and even the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Kash Patel.”
The lawmakers blasted the wasteful use of funds and noted that the acquisitions of the planes is almost certainly unlawful, as well: “The Department’s purchase of these airplanes to shuttle administration officials around the globe demonstrates a remarkable disregard for American taxpayers who work hard and expect government officials to responsibly manage their tax dollars, not burn them on extravagant luxury jets. These acquisitions also raise serious legal concerns, as Congress has not provided the necessary legal authorization for DHS to purchase these planes, much less run a private jet service for government executives.”
Murray and Murphy write that Republicans in Congress have delivered over a quarter of a trillion dollars to DHS through two partisan reconciliation bills, but note that: “instead of using the staggering amount of funding provided to DHS to actually improve the lives of Americans by requiring basic compliance with the Fourth Amendment, acquiring and deploying body-worn cameras to every law enforcement officer in the field, mandating minimum officer identification, or properly training new hires, this administration has lit taxpayer dollars on fire by acquiring new and unnecessary planes to jet Trump officials around in extreme luxury.”
They ask for basic information about the acquisitions and plans for the planes and conclude by urging Secretary Mullin to sell the planes and work with Congress to steer the funds to more important priorities: “[W]e hope that you will sell off these unnecessary luxury jets and airplanes acquired by DHS and return the funding to American taxpayers. We would be happy to work with you and our colleagues in Congress to return those dollars to the Treasury and put them to better use making sure Americans can afford health care, rent, and groceries.”
Full text of the letter is available HERE and below:
Markwayne Mullin
Secretary
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
2707 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., SE
Washington, D.C. 20528
Secretary Mullin,
It has come to our attention that the Department of Homeland Security (“Department” or “DHS”) is effectively running an in-house private jet service for Trump administration officials with a slew of new luxury jets and other airplanes it has acquired and begun providing to officials over the last year. This includes providing jet services not only for DHS officials like yourself, but also for White House Border Czar Tom Homan, other administration officials, members of the first family, and even the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Kash Patel. In total, DHS has acquired 12 new aircraft, including 5 extravagant new luxury jets, using funds provided in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA). These jets were acquired and provided for officials’ use, even though no authorization was ever provided by Congress to buy any airplanes, much less to support executive travel.[1]
The Department’s purchase of these airplanes to shuttle administration officials around the globe demonstrates a remarkable disregard for American taxpayers who work hard and expect government officials to responsibly manage their tax dollars, not burn them on extravagant luxury jets. These acquisitions also raise serious legal concerns, as Congress has not provided the necessary legal authorization for DHS to purchase these planes, much less run a private jet service for government executives.[2]
Over the last year, Republicans in Congress have, on a party-line basis, delivered the Department a remarkable windfall totaling over a quarter of a trillion dollars outside of the annual appropriations process. Republicans first approved $190 billion for DHS in the OBBBA last summer. Then, after refusing to enact basic reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Border Patrol following rampant abuses, including the killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti, they voted to deliver DHS another $70 billion in funding this summer,[3] which was largely earmarked for ICE and Border Patrol and came with no strings attached.
But instead of using the staggering amount of funding provided to DHS to actually improve the lives of Americans by requiring basic compliance with the Fourth Amendment, acquiring and deploying body-worn cameras to every law enforcement officer in the field, mandating minimum officer identification, or properly training new hires, this administration has lit taxpayer dollars on fire by acquiring new and unnecessary planes to jet Trump officials around in extreme luxury that the vast majority of Americans will never experience.
For example, in the midst of last fall’s government shutdown, your predecessor spent nearly $200 million of OBBBA funds provided for the Coast Guard to acquire:
- Two Gulfstream 700 luxury business jets, a model Gulfstream describes as “the pinnacle of business aviation excellence,” which boasts “the most spacious cabin in the industry.”[4] The jets were acquired despite the fact that DHS already owns two Gulfstream jets to support executive travel and despite the fact that DHS had never raised the need for any additional jets in any of its annual budget requests. The Department stole money that should have been used to support modernization of the Coast Guard’s fleet, meet operational needs, and improve military readiness to instead purchase two new luxury jets to shuttle the DHS Secretary and Deputy Secretary around the globe.
DHS also spent OBBBA funds provided for ICE to acquire 10 additional aircraft. To justify the purchases, DHS previously claimed they would all be used to support removal operations in some way.[5] Now, it says these planes are being used for the following purposes:
- Two Gulfstream G650 luxury business jets, ultra-long-range aircraft that seat up to 15 passengers. One of the G650s has already been leased to the FBI for 12 months to support Director Patel’s travel—despite the fact that the FBI already has its own jets to support the Director’s travel. The other G650 is currently being retrofitted for deployment to support Border Czar Homan and undisclosed DHS officials’ travel, according to the Department.
- One Boeing 737-8 MAX business jet, a modified ultra-luxury jet that DHS acquired fully equipped with a bedroom and other luxury amenities like a shower, kitchen, bar, and flatscreen TVs—amenities that even Air Force Two lacks. Despite these features, DHS claimed the jet would “serve dual missions—both as ICE deportation flights and for cabinet level travel.”[6] Now, DHS has informed us the bedroom is being removed, and the plane will remain in ICE’s ownership but be loaned to the Department of Defense (DOD) to fly undisclosed cabinet-level officials. It has also been reported the jet will be used to fly the First Lady around.[7]
- Seven Boeing 737s, a commercial aircraft that can seat upwards of 200 passengers. DHS claims four of these aircraft will be used to support Congressional Delegations (CODELs) but has not provided information on why it is necessary or a permissible use of funds for DHS to purchase these aircraft. DHS states three of the aircraft will soon support ICE deportation flights. Top former DHS officials and industry experts have noted that these acquisitions waste tax dollars,[8] and we remain alarmed by how ICE may use these planes to support the administration’s lawless immigration enforcement campaign. One aviation industry executive said that: “It’s hard to see this as anything but a waste of public money.”[9]
The American people deserve a full accounting of this gross misuse of their tax dollars, and Congress needs more information to conduct sorely-needed oversight and to appropriately craft this coming year’s funding bill for the Department. The misuse of these funds also merits investigation by DHS’s Inspector General, and we have copied him on this letter to make him aware of our concerns.
Instead of extending tax credits to lower Americans’ health care costs or investing to help families afford child care and housing, Republicans in Congress chose to make historic cuts to health care and nutrition assistance in order to cut taxes for the ultra-rich and provide DHS with more money for immigration enforcement than the budget of nearly every military in the world. We fought Republicans’ backward legislation to supercharge DHS’s budget, but we believe every lawmaker should at minimum agree that Americans’ tax dollars should not be wasted on lavish new jets to shuttle DHS officials, the FBI director, and an undisclosed number of other Trump officials and family members around the globe in extraordinary comfort.
DHS has repeatedly noted that as Secretary you are focused on being “the best possible steward of taxpayer dollars.”[10] Accordingly, we ask that you furnish the information requested below, and we hope that you will sell off these unnecessary luxury jets and airplanes acquired by DHS and return the funding to American taxpayers. We would be happy to work with you and our colleagues in Congress to return those dollars to the Treasury and put them to better use making sure Americans can afford health care, rent, and groceries.
Please provide the following by August 26, 2026:
- Contract details for the purchase of each plane;
- Contracts for any/all retrofitting and missionization of each plane;
- Cost analysis for the operations and maintenance of each plane for the life cycle of the plane;
- Flight logs to date, including the names and titles of passengers, origination, destination, and purpose of travel;
- A copy of the lease agreement with the FBI for the G650 jet;
- A copy of the loan agreement with DOD for the Boeing 737-8 MAX business jet; and
- The legal justifications for the purchase, operation, and maintenance, as well as planned uses, of these aircraft.
Sincerely,
###
Kat's "Kat's Korner: Carly Simon's COMES IN WAVES is a gift" went up earlier today. The following sites updated:
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Tyga and A.I. in music1 day ago
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Idiot of the Week2 days ago
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Air Fryer Meatloaf in the Kitchen2 days ago
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