WASHINGTON — A group of 13 Democratic senators are pressing the Air Force and L3Harris for answers about whether money and other resources were diverted from pressing national security requirements to accelerate the transformation of a Qatari-gifted Boeing 747 jumbo jet into a new Air Force One plane.
The group of lawmakers — headed by Sen. Chris Murphy, a defense appropriator from Connecticut — raised concerns in a letter sent today to Air Force Secretary Troy Meink and L3Harris CEO Chris Kubasik about the quick timeline involved in the conversion of the VC-25B bridge aircraft, which shortened the usually yearslong process into a 10-month period.
“The Air Force seems to have committed to a rushed, expensive aircraft modification program for the purpose of meeting President [Donald] Trump’s demand to fly on ‘the world’s most luxurious plane,’ with his favored paint job, during Independence Day festivities,” the senators stated in the letter.
The letter specifically a report from Breaking Defense last month in which an L3Harris executive said the company was tasked to modify the Qatari jet by a July 4 deadline, resulting in a team of about 400 employees working 24/7. Jason Lambert, president of L3Harris’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance division, praised the security work done on the plane but declined to comment at the time on what specific modifications meant to enhance the aircraft’s survivability were included or excluded to meet the delivery timeline.
The senators contend that Congress needs full information about program costs, whether funding was pushed away other Pentagon priorities, and the national security implications of any upgrades that were not included as part of the VC-25B bridge effort.
“Trump’s own statements — including his celebration of ‘a level of luxury that nobody’s ever seen before’ — make it clear that these decisions prioritized Trump’s personal comfort and tastes over U.S. national security,” they stated.
The senators requested that the Air Force and L3Harris provide written answers to eight questions by July 27. The lawmakers said the responses should include furnishing a cost breakout for L3Harris’s upgrade work and contract details, information on how requirements for the VC-25B bridge aircraft were formulated, and an explanation of how the surge of personnel and resources for the bridge aircraft impacted cost or other weapons development efforts.
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The lawmakers also requested a joint classified briefing open to all US senators by no later than Aug. 6 so that sensitive matters could be discussed in greater detail.
L3Harris did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Representatives for the Defense Department and Air Force said they would respond directly to the lawmakers.
Trump accepted the VC-25B bridge aircraft in a ceremony at Joint Base Andrews last month, and took his first flight on the plane on July 1 in a trip to the new Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in North Dakota, USA Today reported. The airplane would later feature in a flyover of Washington during Independence Day festivities, and the president used the plane to fly to the NATO Summit in Ankara today.
In the June interview, Lambert told Breaking Defense that he had the “utmost confidence” in the aircraft, and that it was thoroughly inspected to ensure it met security requirements.
“The aircraft underwent a very rigorous process, really in advance of us even working on it, performed by our electronic warfare experts in conjunction with the US government’s leaders in cybersecurity to fully inspect and ensure that everything within that aircraft was safe for the mission,” he said then. “And with full assurance, we can say that that activity was performed not just in advance of our work, but throughout as well.”
Democrats have argued that using a Qatari-donated plane as Air Force One is unethical, a waste of taxpayer dollars and a potential security risk due to concerns about foreign tampering or listening devices being placed within the aircraft. But repeated attempts to curb the program, including an amendment from Murphy last year which would have prohibited the bridge plane from being transferred to the Trump presidential library after he leaves office, have been unsuccessful.
The Air Force has provided few details about the VC-25B bridge program, which officials argue is needed to relieve pressure on the two aging VC-25A planes that currently function as presidential transport. Technical setbacks have delayed the first delivery of the original Air Force One replacement, the forthcoming VC-25B, from 2024 to 2028.
Meink told a congressional panel in June 2025 that the conversion of the Qatari plane should cost around $400 million, with those funds being diverted from the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program. However, detailed budget information has not been publicly released.
In the letter sent today, the lawmakers content that the Trump administration had “stonewalled” congressional requests for information about the controversial aircraft.
“Americans deserve answers on how the administration has decided to spend their taxpayer dollars, and ignore real national security concerns, in the rushed VC-25B Bridge aircraft retrofit program contracted to L3Harris — all in service of delivering President Trump a pretty, fancy plane for his personal enjoyment,” the senators said.
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