GOP blocks Democrat resolutions regarding ‘free’ jet from Qatar

As if there are not enough problems for Trump right now, the Dems were trying to go after him for the jet from Qatar.

The GOP blocked the resolutions in the Senate, but something tells me this is far from the last we are going to hear about this.

Want a Jet?

When the idea of Qatar giving us a jet to use for Air Force One first came up, I was adamantly against it, if for no other reason than optics.

Then, when the details of the deal were made, which included having to fit the jet for Air Force One as well as it being retired to the Trump museum, well, then I really lost it.

My guess is that when all is said and done, the American taxpayers are going to get a bill for about $1 billion for a toy to be put in Trump’s museum in a couple of years when we have already paid about $2.5 billion for new planes to come from Boeing to replace the current Air Force One fleet.

Not to mention, there are laws in place that would require the “gift” to be approved by Congress. My opinion, if the taxpayers are going to foot the bill for the refit, that plane should be left in service until it falls apart and can no longer be used in government service, not put on display in Trump’s museum.

We Are Taking It

Despite allegations of bribery and pushback even among Republicans, the Trump administration announced that it was going to accept the plane.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth officially accepted the plane, with a spokesman stating that the DoD "will work to ensure proper security measures and functional-mission requirements are considered."

Democrats, as expected, jumped all over this. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) stated, "Today marks a dark day in history: the president of the United States of America officially accepted the largest bribe from a foreign government in American history.”

He went on to call this a “stain on the office of the presidency.”

Blocked

Fast forward to this week, and Senate Democrats were trying to pass a pair of resolutions to push back against the acceptance of the jet, but they were blocked by Republicans.

The first resolution looked to block a $1.9 billion arms deal with Qatar, while the other looked to block a similar deal with the UAE. Both measures were defeated by a vote of 39-56, with Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) responding, “My case is that so long as the relationship is corrupted by the gifts to Trump, we can’t move forward on these arms sales.

“There are legitimate underlying policy debates on the two sales, but my case here is you should look beyond the merits of the sale and really focus on the corruption.”

I can confidently tell you now that if the GOP does not hold the House, Trump will be looking at a third impeachment and the administration’s agenda will come to a screeching halt, and it will be 2019 all over again. That alone should be reason enough for the GOP to make sure everyone is on the same page over the next year to deliver for the American people.