FEMA withdraws plan to lease two high-tech executive jets hours after posting it, as DHS faces scrutiny over idle aircraft
Why It MattersScrutiny of government-owned and contracted aircraft is intensifying, raising questions about how federal agencies source air transport and whether charter or lease arrangements will face closer oversight.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) sought to lease two executive jets with advanced capabilities such as laser mapping, but the solicitation was withdrawn within hours of being posted on a government contracting website last week. Sources who spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity said the jets were intended to be available around the clock for rapid response but would be used mainly to carry FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton and other senior officials. Three sources said Hamilton's team posted the solicitation without approval from Department of Homeland Security (DHS) leadership.
The episode comes as DHS faces scrutiny over aircraft it has bought but has barely used. The department spent $464.5 million to buy eight Boeing 737s and two Gulfstream G-650 jets for its own deportation flights. Many of the planes remain parked at a maintenance hangar in Louisiana. Two were recently moved to a facility in Greensboro, North Carolina, and one Gulfstream has been used to carry administration officials, according to flight-tracking data and members of Congress. Democratic members of Congress said those flights carried people including FBI Director Kash Patel.
DHS also spent $885.6 million in the past year on contracted charter services for Immigration and Customs Enforcement flights, and has awarded a $380 million contract to charter airline Eastern Air Express to fly and maintain the government-furnished aircraft. Federal contracting records show the contract runs from August 2026 through February 2028. Combined, DHS's fleet and charter costs exceed $1.6 billion.
After the bid was halted, Hamilton sent a memo to FEMA staff stressing the agency's role to support, coordinate and supplement local efforts and to apply fiscal responsibility. FEMA leaders have traditionally relied on aircraft from the Federal Aviation Administration, Air Force or Coast Guard to reach disaster zones. Former FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said she briefly explored buying a plane during the Biden administration but "could not find a true cost-benefit." The Senate confirmed Hamilton as permanent administrator in August after he was earlier removed as acting administrator.
