Senate Democrats on Monday introduced a bill aimed at preventing President Donald Trump from accepting a luxury Boeing 747-8i from the government of Qatar.
The Presidential Airlift Security Act of 2025 would bar the use of Department of Defense funding to procure, modify, restore, or maintain “an aircraft previously owned by a foreign government, an entity controlled by a foreign government, or a representative of a foreign government for the purposes of providing presidential airlift options.”
The bill would effectively prevent any aircraft once owned by a foreign government from being used as Air Force One, according to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.
“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 released by the Senate Democrats. “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.”
Trump has said the Qatari government offered him the jet as a “gift,” meaning the U.S. government would not have to pay to obtain it. But the widebody airliner would still need an extensive and potentially costly overhaul before the president could use it.
Aviation experts who recently spoke with NBC News said the modifications, which would include the dismantling and reassembly of the aircraft and the installation of top secret communications and anti-eavesdropping systems, could cost up to $1 billion and take years to complete. It is possible the plane would not be ready for use during Trump’s term, they said.
‘Gift’ in Dispute
Critics of the deal, including high-ranking Democrats and Republicans, have voiced concerns that the government of Qatar or some other party could install a listening device on the jet to spy on Trump and his staff. Many Democrats also see the aircraft as a bribe aimed at increasing the Qatari royal family’s influence in the Trump White House. Both Trump and the Qatari government have defended the offer and said it is not a bribe.
At the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha last week, Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani called the proposed gift a “normal thing that happens between allies.” Al Thani dismissed accusations that his government is trying to buy influence, calling it a stereotype of Gulf Arab countries, and said the U.S. has accepted gifts from foreign governments before, including the Statue of Liberty.
Trump has said Qatar offered him the 747 unprompted as a gesture of goodwill, but on Monday CNN reported that the U.S. government was the first to reach out about the aircraft.
Citing four sources with knowledge of the deal, the outlet said the president had become frustrated with delays in Boeing’s delivery of two new aircraft meant to serve as the new Air Force One and tasked Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff with finding a possible alternative. At the same time, the Pentagon reportedly asked Boeing for a list of clients with airplanes that could be suitable for the president’s use. Qatar was one of the clients put forward by Boeing, and the U.S. government began discussions with the country after its leadership indicated it would be willing to sell one of its jets.
The White House, Defense Department, and Qatari embassy have not commented on CNN’s report.
The jet at the center of the discussions is currently used by Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, the former prime minister of Qatar. If the deal does go through, the aircraft would be transferred from Qatar’s Ministry of Defense to the Pentagon.
