A Republican senator blocked a Democratic bill Wednesday that would bar the Defense Department from spending more money to retrofit a luxury jet given to the United States by the government of Qatar.
President Donald Trump ordered the plane — a Boeing 747-800 worth about $400 million — and had it modified to serve as the new Air Force One despite ethical and national security concerns. He started flying on it this month, using it to travel to the NATO summit in Turkey, but he left Ankara on an older jet.
