Overview

• During a June 11 Senate Appropriations hearing, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declined to reveal the cost of contracting an American firm to retrofit the Qatar-gifted Boeing 747.
• The memorandum of understanding governing the plane’s transfer and use remains unsigned, leaving key terms and legal authority unresolved.
• The Pentagon accepted the custom aircraft, valued at about $400 million, on May 21 as a stopgap while new Air Force One jets complete multibillion-dollar upgrades due by 2027.
• Senators Jack Reed and Brian Schatz pressed for transparency and flagged potential Emoluments Clause violations and doubts over the retrofit’s cost-effectiveness.
• Lawmakers questioned the rationale for spending taxpayer dollars on an aircraft slated for transfer to President Trump’s presidential library after his term ends.