Republican blocks bill to halt retrofit of Qatari-gifted Air Force One

A Republican senator blocked a Democratic bill Wednesday that would bar the Defense Department from spending more money to retrofit a luxury jet given to the United States by the government of Qatar.

President Donald Trump ordered the plane — a Boeing 747-800 worth about $400 million — and had it modified to serve as the new Air Force One despite ethical and national security concerns. He started flying on it this month, using it to travel to the NATO summit in Turkey, but he left Ankara on an older jet.

Trump has said that security concerns did not prompt the decision to switch planes, and the White House has said it is safe. Still, Trump said Sunday that it would undergo additional modifications.

“It has a lot of capability, but as I understand it, in about a month or so, they’re going to send it to have it be maxed out,” Trump said.

Democrats strongly criticized the deal that the administration struck to accept the jet last year and unsuccessfully tried to pass legislation to block the Pentagon from spending money to retrofit it.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) tried again Wednesday to bypass the usual legislative process and pass the bill by unanimous consent, arguing that the jet lacks the security features that other presidential planes boast.

“If you thought this illegal gift was bad before, it’s even worse now,” Schumer said on the Senate floor.

Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska) blocked Schumer’s attempt to pass the bill, accusing Schumer of making “a political point.”

She argued that the bill — which bars the Defense Department from procuring, modifying or maintaining aircraft previously owned by a foreign government — would also apply to planes purchased from Korean Air meant to transport the president in the event of a nuclear attack.

“This legislation would hamper a crucial program that ensures presidential safety in the event of a nuclear war,” Fischer said on the Senate floor. “Thus Senator Schumer’s bill would significantly harm our United States nuclear deterrence.”