President Donald Trump will continue using the new Qatari-gifted Air Force One after Senate Republicans block a Democratic bill to halt its upgrades.
President Donald Trump will retain the new Boeing 747-8 luxury jet as his primary presidential aircraft after Senate Republicans successfully blocked a Democratic effort to stop taxpayer funding for its upgrades. The administration announced that while the plane is currently safe for travel, it will undergo a month of enhancements this fall to maximize its security capabilities, including heat-seeking missile countermeasures. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer proposed the Presidential Airlift Security Act to prevent the government from spending an estimated $1 billion to retrofit the aircraft gifted by Qatar. Schumer argued that the high cost was unnecessary for the American people. However, Senator Deb Fischer blocked the bill, noting that it would also negatively impact the Survivable Air Operations Center aircraft, which is vital for nuclear command and control. The decision to keep the jet follows a recent trip to Turkey where President Donald Trump opted to fly in a different plane due to the new jet's initial lack of advanced security features.