Garamendi Slams Trump and Duffy for Letting Billionaires Fly While Cutting Families’ Thanksgiving Flights

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA-08), senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, slammed Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy for potentially excluding private jets from the agency’s 10% flight cuts at 40 major U.S. airports.

“President Trump, we know you and your colleagues really love private jets, but most Americans travel commercial,” said Garamendi “But right now as families face hours-long security lines and canceled Thanksgiving flights, President Trump and Secretary Duffy better make certain that flights aren’t cancelled so billionaires can fly uninterrupted in their private jets,”

“Congress hasn’t seen the actual plan behind the 10% cut, and the Trump administration’s lack of transparency is frustrating, though not surprising. What’s equally frustrating, but again, not surprising, is that several individuals—from Kristi Noem to Kash Patel, and potentially even Secretary Duffy himself—allegedly have been using American tax dollars to purchase private jets or fly privately while the rest of us face commercial flight cancellations.”

“Private jets make up one in six flights handled by our already over-burdened air traffic controllers. There were 348,000 private jet departures in October alone, with 70% originating from the United States. Letting luxury travel continue while working families struggle confirms the truth: Trump and Duffy serve billionaires, not the American people.”

“I demand the Department of Transportation and FAA immediately ground all non-essential private jets for the duration of the flight cuts. If Trump and Duffy want to prove me wrong, release the plan, share the data with Congress, and let families fly home.”

The full letter can be found HERE and below:  

The Honorable Sean Duffy  

Secretary  

U.S. Department of Transportation  

1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.  

Washington, D.C. 20590  

The Honorable Bryan Bedford

Administrator

Federal Aviation Administration

800 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, D.C. 20591

Dear Secretary Duffy:  

In light of the Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration’s unprecedented decision to cancel 10% of flights at 40 airports across the country, I urge immediate action to ensure that all luxury private jet operations are suspended before any reductions for commercial air travel are implemented. Working Americans cannot be asked to carry the brunt of this burden while the ultra-wealthy fly as if the rules don’t apply to them. If the federal government reduces flight operations in the name of safety, these reductions must first apply to the billionaire class.  

As I send this letter, more than 2,000 commercial flights have been cancelled or delayed. This number will only continue to grow throughout the weekend, creating confusion, frustration, and uncertainty for commercial airline travelers. American taxpayers already heavily subsidize private jet travel. Private jet travelers pay just two percent of the taxes used to fund the Federal Aviation Administration, despite making up one in six flights handled by FAA’s air-traffic controllers. This October alone saw 348,000 private jet departures, with the United States accounting for 70% of these departures. Potentially allowing luxury travel for the over 15,000 private jets in the country to proceed while working families struggle to get to their destinations sends a clear and unacceptable message: that the wealthy are playing by different rules.  

Recent reports that the Department of Homeland Security purchased two private jets for Secretary Noem and other senior Department officials, at the cost of $172 million, underscore this outrageous double standard. When public servants and federal workers are making sacrifices, it is unacceptable for government officials or private individuals to use taxpayer-supported aviation resources for personal convenience.  

Essential aviation workers are already stretched thin. It is unconscionable that they be asked to facilitate private jet operations for the ultra-wealthy while these critical employees are reporting to duty without pay. Luxuries for the billionaire class should never come at the expense of the safety of the American public or our aviation workforce.  

I demand that the Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration take immediate steps to ground all private jet operations – excluding aircraft used for agricultural, emergency, or other essential public service purposes – before implementing commercial airline reductions. Every available resource within the Federal Aviation Administration should be dedicated to maintaining safe, equitable air travel for the public, not preserving convenience for the ultra-wealthy.  

This is a matter of basic fairness and responsible governance. Working Americans should not suffer while the privileged few glide above the consequences. The Department of Transportation has an obligation to demonstrate that America’s aviation system serves the public interest, not private luxury. I request an immediate response outlining what steps you will take to ensure that private aviation does not remain a loophole for the ultra-wealthy during this period of national disruption.

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