Garamendi slams Trump, Duffy for letting billionaires fly while cutting families’ Thanksgiving flights

Congressman John Garamendi, senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, slammed Secretary of Transportation Pete Duffy for potentially excluding private jets from the agency’s 10 percent flight cuts at 40 major U.S. airports, according to a statement from Congressman John Garamendi.

“President Trump, we know you and your colleagues really love private jets, but most Americans travel commercial.” Garamendi said. “But right now as families face hours-long security lines and canceled Thanksgiving flights, President Trump and Secretary Duffy better make certain that flights aren’t cancelled so billionaires can fly uninterrupted in their private jets.

“Congress hasn’t seen the actual plan behind the 10 percent cut, and the Trump administration’s lack of transparency is frustrating, though not surprising. What’s equally frustrating, but again, not surprising, is that several individuals — from Kristi Noem to Kash Patel, and potentially even Secretary Duffy himself — allegedly have been using American tax dollars to purchase private jets or fly privately while the rest of us face commercial flight cancellations.

“Private jets make up one in six flights handled by our already over-burdened air traffic controllers. There were 348,000 private jet departures in October alone, with 70 percent originating from the United States. Letting luxury travel continue while working families struggle confirms the truth: Trump and Duffy serve billionaires, not the American people.

“I demand the Department of Transportation and FAA immediately ground all non-essential private jets for the duration of the flight cuts. If Trump and Duffy want to prove me wrong, release the plan, share the data with Congress, and let families fly home.”