President-elect Donald J. Trump has made reining in wasteful government spending one of his top priorities and it appears he has found his latest target: the Department of Defense.
Taking to Twitter Tuesday morning, Trump blasted Boeing’s massive Air Force One contract with DoD, calling the $4 billion price tag “out of control” and suggesting the deal should be cancelled altogether:
Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4 billion. Cancel order!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 6, 2016
During a meeting with the media in the lobby of Trump Tower, President-elect Trump elaborated on his Boeing comments:
The plane is totally out of control. It’s going to be over $4 billion for Air Force One program and I think it’s ridiculous. I think Boeing is doing a little bit of a number. We want Boeing to make a lot of money, but not that much money.
Here’s video of Trump’s comments:
Trump on Air Force One tweet.pic.twitter.com/0ZTzeR008G
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) December 6, 2016
The Pentagon initially struck the deal with Boeing in January of last year, awarding the company a contract worth nearly $26 million for initial research into replacement Air Force One planes. The DoD then awarded Boeing an additional $127.3 million contract this July to “develop interior, power and electronic specifications for the next-generation aircraft, according to FlightGlobal, a publication that covers the aviation industry.”
It is being reported that the Air Force had previously earmarked $1.65 billion for two new presidential aircraft, which will be four-engine Boeing 747-8s.
Kudos for President-elect Trump for going after the out-of-control costs Boeing is racking up to develop a replacement presidential aircraft! No other president would be as financially responsible to notice the wasteful spending and demand a better deal for the American people!
H/T: Politico
Do you think Trump calling out the wasteful spending of this Boeing deal is a sign of things to come? Share your thoughts below!