Politico first reported Friday that the House Committee on Oversight and Reform is investigating the stopovers at Prestwick -- first while en route to Kuwait and then again when returning to the U.S. -- as part of a larger probe into military stays at Trump-owned properties.
The C-17 crew, consisting of seven active-duty and National Guard crew members from Alaska, stayed at Trump's Turnberry resort when en route to Kuwait, "but it doesn't appear the Trump property was used on the return leg," Thomas said Saturday, adding that the stops at Prestwick were not unusual because of how often transport aircraft operate around the world on a daily basis.
Politico reported that the Air Force has spent $11 million on fuel at Prestwick, roughly 20 miles from Turnberry, since October 2017. The crews reportedly could have saved money by refueling at a nearby base such as RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom.; Ramstein Air Base, Germany; or Naval Station Rota, Spain.
Lawmakers want to know whether U.S. military stays have boosted Turnberry's revenue.
"Even when [Air Force] aircrews follow all directives and guidance, we must still be considerate of perceptions of not being good stewards of taxpayer funds that might be created through the appearance of aircrew staying at such locations," Thomas said.
He added that the review, ordered by Acting Air Force Secretary Matt Donovan and Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein, will include all active-duty, Guard and Reserve units.
According to data provided by Air Mobility Command (AMC), there has been an uptick of cargo aircraft, primarily C-17s, stopping at Prestwick between 2015 and 2019.
AMC aircraft have landed at Prestwick 936 times during that time frame, including 659 overnight stays in the area, officials said.
That breaks down to 95 stops at Prestwick with 40 overnight lodging stays in 2015; 145 stops and 75 overnights in 2016; 180 stops and 116 overnights in 2017; 257 stops and 208 overnights in 2018; and 259 stops and 220 overnights through August 2019.
Responding to news reports, the president said via Twitter on Monday that he was unaware of the stops at the airport and his resort.
A partial list of 94 of the 127 projects provided by the Pentagon includes 34 in 23 states totaling $1.07 billion; 21 in Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands totaling $687 million; and 39 in 20 foreign countries totaling $1.8 billion.
No family housing projects, barracks or dormitories were affected, the senior official said.
The $3.6 billion taken from the military construction projects was in response to a "lawful order" from President Donald Trump to deal with an emergency on the southern border that requires 11 projects to build about 103 miles of new wall and 72 miles of replacement wall, according to defense officials.
"We've got an emergency on the southwest border we've got to address," the senior official said. "All these projects are important to us, but we also have to respond to an emergency."
The official said the Defense Department still intends to complete the projects that were put on hold and will work with Congress "to try to get an outcome that supports these projects."
The targeted projects include those in in Florida, North Carolina and Puerto Rico that were hit hard by hurricanes last year.
A $17 million fire and rescue station slated for Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida, replacing one badly damaged by Hurricane Michael, was on the list; as was a total of $40 million in funding for projects at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, which was hit by Hurricane Florence; and projects worth $400 million for Puerto Rico, which was devastated by Hurricane Maria.
Elsewhere, projects put on hold range from a $50 million machine gun range on Guam and $88.9 million for pier and maintenance facilities in Bangor to a $95 million engineering center at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and a $5.2 million weapons maintenance shop at the Anniston Army Depot in Alabama.
Nine school building projects were on the list -- six overseas and three in the U.S., including $62.6 million for the Fort Campbell middle school in Kentucky, home state of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky.
In letters to Congress, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said that the funding from the military construction projects would instead go to 11 projects to replace existing wall structures and to build new lengths of wall. Four of the border wall projects are in the Yuma, Arizona, area and others are near San Diego, El Paso, Texas, and Laredo, Texas, the Defense Department said in a statement Wednesday.
The money diverted for wall funding represents only a fraction of total military construction. Overall, the Defense Department has slated a total of $34 billion for more than 11,100 military construction projects, the defense official said.
Sen. Marco Rubio says sailors and Marines can help relieve the suffering in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian decimated the island country by sending ships to assist those in need of medical attention.
The Florida Republican sent a letter to the head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, on Sunday, urging that the hospital ship Comfort and assets from the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group be dispatched to the Bahamas "as soon as possible."
"I respectfully implore you to strongly consider a formal request for the USNS Comfort to be repositioned to the Bahamas ... as well as any assets needed from the Bataan Amphibious Readiness Group," wrote Rubio, who recently returned from a trip to the storm-ravaged country.
USAID did not immediately respond to questions about Rubio's letter, including whether Administrator Mark Green had received it.
There has not yet been an official request to send the Comfort or ARG to the Bahamas. A USAID official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said only that medical needs on the ground are still being assessed.
In his letter, Rubio stressed that many in the Bahamas are in need of medical treatment, but resources there are limited. Power is scarce, and helicopter evacuations by trained professionals "is the only solution" until debris is moved so medical facilities can be set up on land, he added.
Dorian was the strongest hurricane ever to hit the Bahamas. The slow-moving Category 5 storm hovered over the country for more than a day, killing 45 people and leaving 70,000 without homes.
"The USNS Comfort, and its crew of trained medical staff, flight deck and ability to desalinate water, would be ideal in helping the Bahamian people," Rubio said. "[The Comfort] could ... provide short-term medical treatment as runways and ports come back online."
The Bataan ARG, which is currently training in the Atlantic, can also provide airlift and medical support, he said. The ready group includes about 2,200 members of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
Quote by Raine:
Good Morning.
This blog just irritates me!
Quote by Scoopster:
Mornin' all!Quote by Raine:
Good Morning.
This blog just irritates me!
I informed John Bolton last night that his services are no longer needed at the White House. I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the Administration, and therefore....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 10, 2019
Quote by Raine:I informed John Bolton last night that his services are no longer needed at the White House. I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the Administration, and therefore....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 10, 2019
Quote by BobR:
Re: Scotland refueling: I heard that the everyday folks who were part of that convoy were complaining that their "per deim" wouldn't cover the expensive food at the resort.
Quote by Scoopster:Quote by Raine:I informed John Bolton last night that his services are no longer needed at the White House. I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the Administration, and therefore....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 10, 2019
HOLY SHIT!!!
Ambassador Bolton sends me a text message just now: “Let’s be clear, I resigned, having offered to do so last night.â€
— Robert Costa (@costareports) September 10, 2019
Quote by Mondobubba:Quote by Scoopster:Quote by Raine:I informed John Bolton last night that his services are no longer needed at the White House. I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the Administration, and therefore....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 10, 2019
HOLY SHIT!!!
Somebody had to take the fall for the Taliban meeting fiasco.
Quote by Raine:
I despise Bolton -- but I am terrified of who is picked.
Quote by Scoopster:Quote by Raine:
I despise Bolton -- but I am terrified of who is picked.
I jokingly thought Dennis Rodman, because he has "experience dealing with North Korea".
Quote by wickedpam:Quote by Scoopster:Quote by Raine:
I despise Bolton -- but I am terrified of who is picked.
I jokingly thought Dennis Rodman, because he has "experience dealing with North Korea".
I would not put it past him.
Quote by Raine:Speculation: Pompeo gets picked.Quote by wickedpam:Quote by Scoopster:Quote by Raine:
I despise Bolton -- but I am terrified of who is picked.
I jokingly thought Dennis Rodman, because he has "experience dealing with North Korea".
I would not put it past him.
Quote by wickedpam:
Beltway Brewing is doing a beer called "Stick it In". I know its supposed to be connected to VA Tech somehow (have no clue) but all it sounds is rapey to me.
Quote by Raine:Quote by wickedpam:
Beltway Brewing is doing a beer called "Stick it In". I know its supposed to be connected to VA Tech somehow (have no clue) but all it sounds is rapey to me.
That's a terrible name.
BREAKING: The FEMA official in Puerto Rico, in charge of power restoration after Hurricane Maria, has been arrested by the FBI, as has the fmr. CEO of Cobra Energy (which got $1.8B in contracts) & a 2nd FEMA official...all accused of enriching themselves & defrauding the fed govt pic.twitter.com/bhl2a4hi2D
— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) September 10, 2019
Quote by Raine:Quote by Raine:Quote by wickedpam:
Beltway Brewing is doing a beer called "Stick it In". I know its supposed to be connected to VA Tech somehow (have no clue) but all it sounds is rapey to me.
That's a terrible name.
I had to look it up. Still seems strange.
Quote by wickedpam:Quote by Raine:Quote by Raine:Quote by wickedpam:
Beltway Brewing is doing a beer called "Stick it In". I know its supposed to be connected to VA Tech somehow (have no clue) but all it sounds is rapey to me.
That's a terrible name.
I had to look it up. Still seems strange.
Oh good, I thought it was just me being kind of prudish or missing the reference.
Quote by Raine:
Pompeo is standing in for Bolton at this presser.
Trump gives a shoutout to the executive director of his HBCUs initiative, Johnathan Holifield, then says Evander Holyfield is a friend of his, and he was a really great fighter.
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) September 10, 2019
Quote by Scoopster:
Wha tthe hell.. now he wants to put homeless people in concentration camps?!
The talks have intensified in recent weeks. Administration officials have discussed using the federal government to get homeless people off the streets of Los Angeles and other areas and into new government-backed facilities, according to two officials briefed on the planning. But it is unclear how they could accomplish this and what legal authority they would use.
Quote by Raine:
Good lord.Trump gives a shoutout to the executive director of his HBCUs initiative, Johnathan Holifield, then says Evander Holyfield is a friend of his, and he was a really great fighter.
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) September 10, 2019
"African Americans built this nation through generations of blood, sweat and tears," Trump says. He touts the record low in African American unemployment. He asks which possible debate opponent could possibly beat him with numbers like this.
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) September 10, 2019
Quote by Raine:Quote by Scoopster:
Wha tthe hell.. now he wants to put homeless people in concentration camps?!
How is this even possible and even legal? And why is the mayor entertaining this idea at all?The talks have intensified in recent weeks. Administration officials have discussed using the federal government to get homeless people off the streets of Los Angeles and other areas and into new government-backed facilities, according to two officials briefed on the planning. But it is unclear how they could accomplish this and what legal authority they would use.