The US Department of Defense has confirmed that it has accepted a Boeing 747 jetiner gifted by Qatar, aimed at the future Air Force for US President Donald Trump. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement on Wednesday that the aircraft was “accepted” according to all federal rules and regulations “. To meet the President’s transport requirements, the aircraft is now being screened for safety upgradation.According to The New York Times, the aircraft, an estimated of $ 200 million, requires significant amendments before the President is safely moved. Air Force Secretary Troy Mayic admitted during the Senate testimony, “Any citizen aircraft will make significant amendments … we are watching right now.”There is increasing concerns in the Congress over the ability of retrofitting under political pressure. Senator Tammy Duckworth warned that fast-tracking upgrade could bypass important safety protocols, including the missile defense system and preservation against nuclear electromagnetic pulses.This issue has also provoked constitutional debate. According to the AFP, the Elolumens section of the US Constitution has stopped the authorities from accepting gifts from foreign states. While the Pentagon insisted on following legal processes, critics argue that allowing a foreign-din jet for the use of the president violates basic norms.Trump has pushed back against criticism. “This is a great gesture,” he said to reporters, “I will never be one to reject that kind of proposal … I mean, I can be an idiot person and say that ‘no.”However, Senate Democrats are proceeding to block the use of the aircraft. The Senate Minority Leader Chak Shumor introduced the President’s Airlift Security Act, which will prohibit the use of taxpayer funds to resume any aircraft owned by a foreign government. “Not only will it take Arabs … Shumor reported by AFP said, but there is no amendment that can guarantee.Trump defended the move with the President of South Africa recently during the presence of an oval office, saying, “They are giving a jet to the United States Air Force,” said AP. He also posted online that it would save the taxpayer’s money: “Why should our army be done … When they can get for free, it should be forced to pay hundreds of million dollars.”Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani denied that the gift was aimed at influencing Trump. “This is a two-way relationship,” he said, according to the New York Times. “We provide anything … it’s out of respect for this partnership.”Despite some Republican support, many GOP MPs have raised red flags on optics to accept such gift from security risks and a foreign power. The future of the aircraft remains in question as an air force, with deepening of the seven-condensed retrofiting costs and bipartisan probes.
