Senate Republicans have blocked Democratic legislation that sought to prevent the Pentagon using taxpayer money to modify a VIP-configured B747-8(BBJ), currently serving as a VC-25B Bridge aircraft, gifted to President Donald Trump by Qatar in 2025.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer attempted to pass the Presidential Airlift Security Act of 2025 on July 22. The legislation would prohibit United States Department of Defense funding being used for the purchase, modification, restoration, or maintenance of any aircraft previously owned by a foreign government.
The bill was blocked by Republican Senator Deb Fischer, who argued that the proposal had already been considered and rejected by the Senate earlier this year.
Fischer said the measure would negatively affect the United States Air Force Survivable Airborne Operations Center programme, which will provide the president with a hardened airborne command post during a nuclear conflict. Five B747-8s formerly of Korean Air were acquired under the programme for conversion into E-4C aircraft.
The VC-25B Bridge was officially delivered to the air force in late June and is temporarily serving as the presidential aircraft while work continues on refurbishing two B747-8s that will replace the two ageing B747-200(VC-25A)s currently in service.
In early July, the VC-25B Bridge was deployed as the presidential aircraft for the 2026 NATO summit in Ankara, Türkiye. The New York Times reported that the jet lacks the defensive countermeasures needed to evade missile attacks and other threats. President Trump switched to the older VC-25A before departing Ankara, following a security recommendation made by the United States Secret Service.
Retrofit of the VC-25B Bridge, commissioned to L3Harris Technologies, was originally expected to cost around USD400 million. However, the administration now estimates the price could climb to USD1 billion. President Trump said the Qatari-donated jet would be “maxed out”, indicating the aircraft will undergo a comprehensive retrofit.
