--- title: "US spent $464m on deportation planes that remain mostly unused" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/us-spent-464m-on-deportation-planes-that-remain-mostly-unused" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/us-spent-464m-on-deportation-planes-that-remain-mostly-unused" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/us-spent-464m-on-deportation-planes-that-remain-mostly-unused.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/us-spent-464m-on-deportation-planes-that-remain-mostly-unused" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-08-15T20:46:13.988Z" source_reported: "2026-08-14T19:30:00.000Z" updated: "2026-08-15T20:46:13.988Z" trust_score: 80 critic_score: 95 hype_score: 35 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-15T23:15:09.163702+00:00" --- # US spent $464m on deportation planes that remain mostly unused *Homeland Security bought 10 aircraft under a no-bid contract, citing urgency, but an internal document said it lacked staff to operate them* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 80 of 100, higher is better. Trust high (80) due to multiple named sources, official documents, and independent outlets confirming the $464 M purchase. - Craft 95 of 100, higher is better. Critic score 95; article explains relevance, includes quotes, separates facts, provides specifics and next steps. - Hype 35 of 100, lower is better. Hype 35; headline is mildly sensational but body matches the claims without excessive exaggeration. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - The Department of Homeland Security spent $464 million on 10 used aircraft under a no-bid contract, citing urgency for deportation flights. - Three of the planes are luxury business jets; seven are Boeing 737s parked in Louisiana. An internal document said the agency lacked staff to operate them. - The contract was awarded to Daedalus Aviation Corp., whose chair donated to a political committee supporting former DHS secretary Kristi Noem. - No right-rated outlet reported the story, according to the material supplied. The US Department of Homeland Security spent $464 million on a no-bid contract to purchase 10 used aircraft from Daedalus Aviation Corp., a firm based in northern Virginia. The agency said the planes were urgently needed for deportation flights. The contract was awarded last fall. Three of the aircraft are luxury business jets. The other seven are older Boeing 737 passenger jets, which have remained parked at an airport in Lake Charles, Louisiana. An internal government document, obtained by The New York Times, said the agency lacked the staff to operate the planes. The department has barely used the fleet since acquiring it. The chair of Daedalus Aviation Corp. donated to a political committee that supported Kristi Noem, the former secretary of Homeland Security. Noem was fired in March 2026 and replaced by Markwayne Mullin, a Republican senator from Oklahoma. The department and Noem’s spokesperson have blamed each other for the contract. ## What the reports disagree on The Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported that the contract’s value increased by $303 million on the day Mullin was sworn in as secretary. The department said the idle 737s were undergoing maintenance checks and that two would begin deportation flights later in August. The New York Times, cited by the Hawaii Tribune-Herald, reported that Democratic senators said Homeland Security officials had conceded most of the planes would not be used for deportations. ## What the coverage left out None of the digests or reports supplied mention that no right-rated outlet ran the story at all. The left-rated digests do not mention the $303 million increase in the contract’s value on the day Mullin was sworn in. The centre-rated digests do not mention the internal document stating the agency lacked staff to operate the planes. ## Who covered it Shares of the 9 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 67% (6) - Centre: 33% (3) - Right: 0% (0) 1 of 10 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-15T23:15:09.163702+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 12 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-15T23:45:10.157Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The six left-rated digests led on the $464 million cost and the fact the planes have remained largely unused. der Standard, whose full report is printed below, said the aircraft were intended for "urgent deportations" and that both Noem and Mullin "do not want to be responsible" for the contract. The outlet quoted Donald Trump’s campaign promise of "the largest deportation programme in American history" and Stephen Miller’s pledge of one million deportations per year. - der Standard also reported that the department sought to loan or lease two of the luxury jets to other agencies, including one for FBI Director Kash Patel. The outlet said the contract was part of a surge of rushed contracts awarded under urgency exemptions, which bypass regular bidding procedures. It noted that the exemption had been used for $29 billion in spending during Trump’s second term, up from less than 1% in 2024. ### Centre - The three centre-rated digests led on the $464 million no-bid contract and the fact the planes have been parked unused. The Hawaii Tribune-Herald, whose full report is printed below, said the department invoked an "unusual and compelling urgency" exemption to bypass competitive bidding. The outlet reported that the exemption had been used for $29 billion in contracts during Trump’s second term, including $220 million in media contracts tied to Noem and her allies. - The Hawaii Tribune-Herald quoted a former acting director of ICE, John Sandweg, who said buying a fleet of aircraft would not make the top 10 list of things needed to increase deportations. The outlet also reported that the department refused to release the rationale for the no-bid contract, citing national security risks. ### Right No separate framing summary. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 1 - high: 8 - unknown: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Daily Kos](https://dailykos.com/stories/2026/8/14/800084262/videos/homeland-security-chief-drops-bonkers-claim-to-justify-bloated-budget) — Homeland Security chief drops bonkers claim to justify bloated budget - [Inquirer](https://inquirer.com/news/nation-world/homeland-security-planes-unused-no-bid-contract-deportations-fbi-noem-mullin-20260814.html) — Homeland Security paid $464M for airplanes, then it parked them - [der Standard AT](https://derstandard.at/story/3000000335633/us-regierung-bezahlt-464-millionen-fuer-flugzeuge-und-nutzt-sie-dann-nicht) — U.S. Government Pays 464 Million for Planes – and Then Doesn't Use Them - [der Standard DE](https://derstandard.de/story/3000000335633/us-regierung-bezahlt-464-millionen-fuer-flugzeuge-und-nutzt-sie-dann-nicht) — U.S. Government Pays 464 Million for Planes – and Then Doesn't Use Them - [Jezebel](https://jezebel.com/dhs-planes-jet-fleet-purchased-no-bid-contract-unused-idle-deportation-flights-markwayne-mullin-vs-kristi-noem) — DHS Spent Half a Billion Dollars (No Bid) on a Fleet of Jets That Now Sit Unused in Hangars - [Latin Times](https://latintimes.com/dhs-spent-464-million-planes-urgent-deportations-that-are-now-mostly-sitting-idle-598582) — DHS Spent $464 Million on Planes for 'Urgent' Deportations That Are Now Mostly Sitting Idle - [Hawaii Tribune-Herald](https://hawaiitribune-herald.com/2026/08/14/nation-world-news/homeland-security-paid-464-million-for-airplanes-then-it-parked-them) — Homeland Security paid $464 million for airplanes. Then it parked them. - [West Hawaii Today](https://westhawaiitoday.com/2026/08/14/nation-world-news/homeland-security-paid-464-million-for-airplanes-then-it-parked-them) — Homeland Security paid $464 million for airplanes. Then it parked them - [The Seattle Times](https://seattletimes.com/nation-world/homeland-security-paid-464-million-for-airplanes-then-it-parked-them) — Homeland Security paid $464 million for airplanes. Then it parked them - [Political Wire](https://politicalwire.com/2026/08/13/homeland-security-paid-464-million-for-airplanes) — Homeland Security Paid $464 Million for Airplanes ## Questions **How much did the Department of Homeland Security spend on the planes?** The Department of Homeland Security spent $464 million on a no-bid contract to purchase 10 used aircraft. The contract’s value increased by $303 million on the day Markwayne Mullin was sworn in as secretary, according to the Hawaii Tribune-Herald. **Why were the planes not used after purchase?** An internal government document, obtained by The New York Times, said the agency lacked the staff to operate the planes. The department has barely used the fleet since acquiring it, despite citing urgency for deportation flights. **Which outlets reported on the story?** Six left-rated outlets and three centre-rated outlets ran the story, according to the material supplied. No right-rated outlet reported it. The left emphasised the cost and lack of use; the centre focused on the no-bid contract and urgency exemption. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/us-spent-464m-on-deportation-planes-that-remain-mostly-unused. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "US spent $464m on deportation planes that remain mostly unused", https://mediabias.news/politics/us-spent-464m-on-deportation-planes-that-remain-mostly-unused