Coast Guard spent about $200M on private jets for Kristi Noem, other top officials. Here’s the contract

Claim:

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem purchased two private jets using $200 million in taxpayer funds during a government shutdown in October 2025.

Rating:

What’s True

The U.S. Coast Guard purchased two private jets for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and several other top officials. DHS oversees the Coast Guard.

What’s Undetermined

Although a public contract stated the purchase of the two jets cost a total of a little more than $172 million, The Washington Post reported that a document it obtained put the total estimated cost at $200 million. As of this writing, it was unclear whether the Post rounded up or obtained private contract documents with additional information.

In October 2025, a claim spread online that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem spent $200 million in taxpayer funds on private jets for her own use. 

The rumor circulated on X, Facebook and Reddit. In an Oct. 18 letter, two Democratic U.S. representatives, Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut and Lauren Underwood of Illinois, alleged Noem purchased “two new G700 luxury jets to support travel for [Noem] and the Deputy Secretary, at a cost to the taxpayer of $200 million” via the U.S. Coast Guard, or USCG, which Noem oversees as part of DHS. 

“The procurement of new luxury jets for your use suggests that the USCG has been directed to prioritize your own comfort above the USCG’s operational needs, even during a government shutdown,” the letter read. 

According to publicly available government contract documents, the Coast Guard purchased two “Fixed-Wing aircraft” from Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. for a total of $172,162,137, as first reported by the New York Times. Gulfstream does not make commercial planes, only private jets. The Coast Guard approved the contract on Oct. 17, 2025, during the shutdown. 

Noem reportedly issued a directive in June 2025 mandating that she personally approve any contracts of more than $100,000 for DHS agencies, which the department has not denied. Assuming Noem does, in fact, review any contracts over $100,000, she would have signed off on the $172 million purchase of private jets. The Washington Post later reported that, according to a document it obtained, the total cost of the contract was $200 million. 

Given that a government contract stated that the Coast Guard purchased two private jets for about $172 million — but other details of the claim relied on reputable reports that we could not independently verify — we have rated this claim as mostly true, with some undetermined information. 

In an emailed statement, DeLauro said the “potential total value of the contract is up to $200 million,” per DHS’ formal congressional notification to the House Appropriations Committee, of which DeLauro is the ranking Democratic member. 

Snopes also reached out to Underwood and the lead reporter on the Post’s story to ask for clarification regarding the $200 million number and will update this story if we hear back. 

DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin did not answer a detailed list of questions sent via email, writing, “This is incorrect,” without explaining further. McLaughlin also sent a Coast Guard news release about the purchase and highlighted this passage: 

“It’s incredibly disappointing that politicians and the media are playing politics with the funding of the Coast Guard,” said Mr. Sean Plankey, senior advisor to the secretary for the Coast Guard. “This is a matter of safety and mission readiness. It’s well known that senior military officials and cabinet members need secure command and control and rapid long-range mobility. Flippant comments are great for clicks and fundraising emails, but don’t reflect the reality of protecting the American people 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year.” 

The contract’s details 

The New York Times’ Oct. 18 story stated that public procurement documents showed the Coast Guard “signed a contract with Gulfstream to buy not one but two ‘used’ G700 jets, touted by the company as having the ‘most spacious cabin in the industry.’ The total contract value is listed as a little over $172 million.” 

As of this writing, the link provided by the Times to those documents did not appear to work. However, a search through the Federal Procurement Data System website, which is run by the government’s General Services Administration, returned a result for a contract with Gulfstream, approved on Oct. 17, 2025. 

That document included details such as a total contract value matching the amount reported by the Times. However, details of the planes’ model and whether the planes were new or used did not appear to be available. According to the website, someone modified the contract information on Oct. 20, 2025, indicating that the Times may have reviewed an earlier version of the contract. 

Below is the full contract document: 

In an X post, DHS posted a picture of The New York Times headline “Coast Guard Buys Two Private Jets for Noem, Costing $172 Million” with “private jets” and “Noem” crossed out. The department’s social media team replaced the crossed-out words with “GOVERNMENT PLANES” and “THE MEN AND WOMEN OF USCG.” 

Both the terms “government planes” and “private jets” are accurate descriptors of this particular purchase, just with different implications. Assuming the Times’ reporting about the model of plane purchased is accurate, then Gulfstream describes the planes purchased by DHS as “the pinnacle of business aviation excellence.” As the Times reported, Gulfstream advertises the G700 as “THE MOST SPACIOUS CABIN IN THE INDUSTRY.” The plane can be customized with up to five living areas, including a shower, to create “your ideal flight experience.” 

The Post also reported that Coast Guard planned to purchase “two Gulfstream G700 jets.” According to the Post, the contract grew to $200 million due to “payment for training, ‘specialized paint’ and ‘cabin enhancements,'” far outstripping the $50 million the Coast Guard requested earlier in 2025 to purchase a new Gulfstream jet. According to a brokerage site for private jets called “The Jet Collection,” the Gulfstream G700’s base price, new, was $75 million as of this writing, and it “remains a highly sought-after aircraft with no units available on the secondary market.” 

As for DHS’ claim the planes were for “the men and women of USCG,” the Coast Guard’s official statement about the purchase — sent to Snopes by McLaughlin — stated specifically that the planes would provide travel for Noem and other leadership:

These aircraft are required to provide official travel for the secretary of homeland security, deputy secretary homeland security, commandant of the Coast Guard, vice commandant and Atlantic and Pacific commanders as specified by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Department of Homeland Security policy. 

The Coast Guard’s statement also said the purchase replaced planes “as much as 20 years old and experiencing several unplanned maintenance issues.” 

In sum…

The Coast Guard did spend at least $172 million on two planes for Noem and other DHS and Coast Guard leadership to travel in. A reputable report from The Washington Post indicates the agency may have spent up to $200 million on the planes to customize them. Both the Post and The New York Times reported that the Coast Guard purchased Gulfstream G700 jets, which are luxury business planes and can accurately be described as private jets — although this particular detail could not be independently verified.