Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona raised concerning questions about what he termed as unnecessary spending by the Trump administration during a recent Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. Focused on the use of military aircraft for transporting migrants, Kelly pointed out the exorbitant costs to taxpayers. In a video that was made available on his official website, Kelly underscored the financial inefficiency of using military aircraft over the usual ICE-chartered flights.
According to Kelly’s statements, over 100 migrants were transported to India on a C-17 plane at a staggering cost of approximately $2.5 million, notably using up the flight hours designated for the aircraft. “General Guillot, last week over 100 migrants were flown to India on a C-17 costing the American taxpayer approximately $2.5 million and using up the limited flight hours allocated to that aircraft. Using MILAIR costs around $28,000 per hour or so for a C-17,” Kelly stated. The Senator highlighted a significant discrepancy in operational costs, emphasizing that a chartered flight by ICE would be significantly less expensive.
In the exchange, Senator Kelly also expressed concern regarding the potential effects of these missions on military readiness, considering the extensive costs and the use of resources that could be directed towards higher priority missions. “Are you concerned that using these for deportation flights could impact availability for higher priority missions?” Kelly posed this question to both Gen. Gregory M. Guillot and Admiral Alvin Holsey, commanders of UNITED STATES NORTHERN COMMAND and the United States Southern Command, respectively. The commanders indicated a lack of knowledge about whether higher priority missions were comprised to accommodate these flights. "I am not aware either," said Gen. Guillot in the hearing.
The use of a C-17, which Kelly states costs about four times as much as a commercial 737 in terms of fuel consumption, points to concerns about fiscal responsibility and resource allocation. "Just from experience, about 21,000 pounds an hour of fuel for a C-17, 737s is about 5,000 pounds per hour for fuel costs. Just in fuel costs, it’s about a four-x difference," Kelly shared during the hearing. Both Gen. Guillot and Admiral Halsey committed to providing accurate cost comparisons when questioned by Chairman Wicker, ensuring transparency in the future.
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