A group of 13 Democratic senators, led by Sen. Chris Murphy, are pressing the Air Force and L3Harris for answers about the conversion of a Qatari-gifted Boeing 747 into a new Air Force One plane. The lawmakers raised concerns about the rushed 10-month timeline for the VC-25B bridge aircraft, which they say was accelerated to meet President Trump's demand to fly on "the world's most luxurious plane" during Independence Day festivities. The senators contend that Congress needs full information about program costs and whether funding was diverted from other Pentagon priorities. The senators' letter references a report in which an L3Harris executive said the company was tasked to modify the Qatari jet by a July 4 deadline, resulting in a team of about 400 employees working 24/7. The lawmakers have requested written answers to eight questions by July 27, including a cost breakout for L3Harris's upgrade work and an explanation of how the surge of personnel impacted other weapons development efforts. They also requested a joint classified briefing for all US senators by no later than Aug. 6.
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