Much ink has been spilled in the mainstream media and by Democrats after the Department of Homeland Security acquired new jets for top officials within the agency to use for travel, but a deeper dive shows the purchases are not only standard but also a matter of safety.Liberals such as David Axlerod have characterized the aircraft as "luxury jets" and bewailed their hefty price tag.However, while two used Gulfstream jets added to the Coast Guard air assets cost $172 million, the Coast Guard has been using Gulfstream aircraft for travel for its leadership since the early 2000s.The plane the new long-range Gulfstream V jet replaced was also 20 years old. The New York Times noted that the acting commandant of the Coast Guard told Congress back in May that the "avionics are increasingly obsolete, the communications are increasingly unreliable."The need to modernize the air fleet was again emphasized by Admiral Kevin Lunday in a press release on Saturday."The timing of this investment underscores the Coast Guard’s vital need to modernize its command and control capabilities to meet today’s rapidly evolving operational demands. As maritime activity increases and national security challenges grow more complex, maintaining reliable air mobility is essential to ensuring continuity of operations and mission success," Lunday said.The two airplanes were costing nearly $10 million per year to maintain at the time.Since January 2025, the plane that is being replaced has experienced 30 days of unplanned maintenance, with six missions requiring unplanned cancellation.RELATED: Kristi Noem hammers Zach Bryan over apparently anti-ICE song — singer says he's 'scared' by negative reaction Kristi Noem hammers Zach Bryan over apparently anti-ICE song — singer says he's 'scared' by negative reaction Photo (left): James Smith/Sam Snap/Getty Images; Photo (right): Klaudia Radecka/NurPhoto via Getty Images The Coast Guard under former Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas facilitated the acquisition of a new C-37B long-range command and control aircraft from Gulfstream in June 2022."The aircraft’s overall mission is to operate as a command and control platform anywhere in the world for the secretary of Homeland Security, the commandant of the Coast Guard, and other top DHS leadership. The LRCCA is equipped with a broad range of commercial and military communications systems, providing secure voice and data capabilities as well as the capability to perform routine administrative duties in-flight worldwide," the press release said about the purchase at the time.Going back to fiscal year 2021, a Coast Guard report found maintenance for the service's long-range aircrafts was costing millions of dollars per year due to the mileage and age. The two airplanes were costing nearly $10 million per year to maintain at the time.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Colombian President Gustavo Petro appeared to call for the ousting of President Donald Trump in an interview with MRC Latino on October 20. Addressing the tensions between the U.S. and various South American nations over the Trump administration's deportation efforts and drug crackdown, Petro said, "Humanity has a first off-ramp, and it is to change Trump in various ways. The easiest way may be through Trump himself." Petro went on to say that the second option would be to "get rid of Trump." 'US government officials have committed murder and violated our sovereignty.'President Trump has been highly critical of Petro, calling him "an illegal drug leader" in a post on Truth Social on Sunday. Trump went on to say in the post that the production of illegal drugs "has become the biggest business in Colombia, by far, and Petro does nothing to stop it." He called Petro "a low rated and very unpopular leader" and said that if Petro does not stop the drug routes to the U.S., "the United States will close them up for him, and it won't be done nicely."On September 16, the U.S. military carried out a drone strike that destroyed a submarine reportedly carrying drugs in international waters off the coast of Colombia.RELATED: 'Illegal drug leader': Trump accuses Colombian president of doing worse than nothing about drug cartels Photo by Omar Havana/Getty ImagesLast week, Petro stated on X that "U.S. government officials have committed murder and violated our sovereignty in territorial waters." He went on to say that the submarine was a fishing vessel in distress and demanded an explanation from the United States about the strike.In response, Trump announced that he would end all U.S. funding to Colombia, cutting off hundreds of millions in economic, military, and humanitarian aid. Speaking to reporters, Trump went after Petro, calling him "a lunatic who's got a lot of problems. Mental problems." He added that the funding cuts were in response to Colombia's unwillingness to combat the drug trade: "They are a drug-manufacturing machine, Colombia, and we're not going to be part of it. So we're going to drop all money that we are giving to them."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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