Senate Democrats will be protesting President Donald Trump‘s decision to accept a luxury jet from Qatar, a gift that has raised ethics and national security concerns from lawmakers of both parties.
In the coming days, Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) will introduce a resolution disapproving of the gift, a Boeing 747 that Trump wants to replace Air Force One. Schatz is likely to request a vote from the Senate floor, a tactic usually quashed by the majority party.
“We’re evaluating our sort of procedural options, but it’s very likely going to be that,” he told the Washington Examiner, adding that Democrats are still “navigating whether there’s a more exciting option.”
Separately, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-NJ) plans to force votes on any military sales announced on Trump’s swing through the Middle East this week. In addition to Qatar, Murphy accused the Saudis and United Arab Emirates of corrupt dealings with the Trump family.
“We’ve got to have a debate,” Murphy said, pointing to lucrative business deals in Saudi Arabia and a UAE-linked investment in the Trump family’s cryptocurrency. “This corruption is now on steroids.”
Both Murphy and Schatz are members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Reports of the gift, which the Qatari government says is still under review, received a mixed reaction from Senate Republicans, with members of leadership largely sidestepping the question of ethics but some rank-and-file members registering concern.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) noted Qatar’s ties to the terrorist group Hamas, while Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) questioned the wisdom of taking a gift valued at $400 million from a foreign power given the possible conflicts of interest.
“I mean there’s just a lot of foreign policy decisions, and I think people will think that it could possibly sway your decision-making process — particularly riding on it every day, you know, and it’s a really nice plane,” Paul said.
Democrats have accused Trump of blatantly violating the Constitution’s emoluments clause, which bars officials from accepting a present “of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.”
“There’s no context in which this makes sense. There’s no legal justification. There’s no moral justification,” Schatz, who is running to become the Senate’s next Democratic whip, said. “This is one of the most outrageous things that an American president has ever done.”
The White House did not respond to a request for comment, but the Department of Justice has defended the arrangement with Qatar, in which the jet would be transferred to the Air Force and then Trump’s presidential library after he leaves office.
The DOJ claims the gift does not amount to bribery because no official act was offered in exchange for the plane, according to ABC News. Regarding the emoluments clause, the administration argues that the government, not Trump himself, is accepting the plane.
On Monday, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), a close Trump ally, called the ethics questions the “stupidest thing I’ve ever heard of.”
“What does it matter if we get a gift? We’ve got gifts from countries around the world before,” said Mullin.
“You think he’s compromised because he’s getting a plane? The president could easily buy it himself, personally, could buy it himself,” he added.
The steps Democrats will take on Qatar are essentially symbolic. Murphy is entitled to votes on any new arms sales, given his resolutions are privileged, but could easily be rejected by Senate Republicans.
For Schatz, it only takes the objection of a single senator to prevent his measure from coming to the floor.
Notably, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) did not rule out blocking military sales in the Senate. As the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, she can unilaterally hold up significant arms deals.
“I think we need to consider options,” she told the Washington Examiner.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), one of the Democrats joining Schatz on his disapproval measure, declined to preview other actions his caucus might undertake over the possible Qatari gift, while Schatz said the timing of any request for a floor vote is still in flux.
“We are talking strategy right now, and we will be taking action,” Booker said. “I don’t want to show our cards.”
Booker, the No. 4 Senate Democrat, delivered a record-length floor speech in April to denounce the early actions of the Trump administration, while Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) went so far as to call for Trump’s impeachment over corruption allegations.
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Ossoff, a first-term senator from Georgia, is one of the most vulnerable Democrats up for reelection in 2026.
In the House, Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) demanded that the government conduct an ethics review of the jet transfer. The administration has already contracted with Boeing to deliver new planes to replace Air Force One, but the contract has been beset by yearslong delays.