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119th CONGRESS
2d Session |
To prohibit certain transfers of aircraft provided by the Government of Qatar, and for other purposes.
Mr. Murphy (for himself, Ms. Alsobrooks, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Markey, Mr. Schiff, and Mr. Van Hollen) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services
To prohibit certain transfers of aircraft provided by the Government of Qatar, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
This Act may be cited as the “Luxury Jet Ethics and Transparency Act” or the “Luxury JET Act”.
SEC. 2. Prohibition on certain transfers of aircraft provided by Government of Qatar.
No aircraft provided by the Government of Qatar to the United States Air Force may be transferred from the United States executive airlift fleet to any individual or entity (including a Presidential library), or otherwise made available, for the personal use of any President, any family member of a President, or any other associate of a President before or after the Presidential term of that President concludes.
SEC. 3. Government Accountability Office review of certain aircraft provided by Government of Qatar.
(a) Review.—The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a review of the donation of a luxury aircraft, incorporated into the United States executive airlift fleet as the VC–25B Bridge aircraft, from the Government of Qatar to the United States Air Force, including an analysis of the circumstances of the gift, any conflicts of interest, and the total cost to the United States.
(b) Elements.—The review conducted under subsection (a) shall include the following:
(1) An analysis of the circumstances surrounding the agreement between the Government of Qatar and United States for the donation of the aircraft, including an assessment of any conflicts of interest, explicit or implicit conditions, and side agreements, and whether such actions constituted the solicitation of a gift.
(2) An analysis of the terms of the memorandum of understanding signed by United States and Qatari officials to formalize the donation, including an assessment of any conflicts of interest, explicit or implicit conditions, and side agreements.
(3) An accounting of the full monetary value of the aircraft and associated equipment donated from the Government of Qatar to the United States Air Force.
(4) An accounting of the full cost to the United States Government for upgrading and retrofitting the aircraft for delivery to the executive airlift fleet, including the cost of modifications, testing, accelerated delivery schedule, and additional aircraft or other equipment purchased, leased, or used in support of aircraft delivery, testing, and operation.
(A) the funding sources used to pay for the activities described in paragraph (4); and
(B) any impacts on other national security programs due to diversion of funding, Government or contractor workforce, or other resources.
(6) An analysis of national security concerns related to the VC–25B Bridge aircraft following the truncated period of retrofitting, modifying, and testing the aircraft for delivery.
(7) A consideration of the legality and constitutionality of the acceptance by the United States Government of this foreign gift under the Foreign Emoluments Clause of the Constitution of the United States, section 7342 of title 5, United States Code, and other related United States statutes.
(8) Recommendations for improvements to United States statute related to accepting foreign gifts and luxury aircraft to minimize conflicts of interest, corruption, and frivolous use of American taxpayer dollars for the personal benefit of United States officials.
(c) Submission of report.—Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the findings of the review conducted under subsection (a).