The gift was BIG news; big in so many ways. I’m talking about the BIG gift that the government of Qatar presented to our BIG and powerful President. Likely the most lavish and valuable gift ever extended to the U.S. by a foreign government.
A VERY BIG, luxurious Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet, worth about $400 million (and that’s before required upgrades). Known as a “flying palace,” the jet is decked out with gold walls, winding staircases, plush carpeting, opulent furnishings, leather couches and more. It would serve as Air Force One. Read more here, here, here.
Now, here’s the rub. The so-called emolument clause of the U.S. Constitution – sometimes called the No Title of Nobility Clause– (Article 1, Section 9, Clause 8) prohibits any U.S. government official from accepting any gifts from foreign governments without the consent of Congress. Specifically, it states: “No title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.” [emphasis added]
I’m pretty sure the President did not seek Congressional consent, but no worries. As you can read here, Trump’s Justice Department concluded that it’s legal and I guess just fine for the President to accept this BIG gift, as long as he turns it over to the Trump Library Fund before he leaves office. (Which is not the same as the Trump Presidential Library, which is run by the National Archives.)
And Trump’s top White House lawyer also agreed that it was “legally permissible” to accept the gift conditioned on the transfer of ownership to the Trump Library Fund. Turn it over to the Trump Library Fund? Not to the Department of Defense? Or to the next President for her (ever hopeful) future use? To me, that sounds a lot like turning it over to Mr. Trump.
And after following some ABC reporting, a couple of Senators weighed in. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said via social media, “Nothing says ‘America First’ like Air Force One, brought to you by Qatar. It’s not just bribery, it’s premium foreign influence with extra legroom.” And Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) cited the Constitution’s No Title of Nobility clause, writing, “the corruption is brazen.” Some Republicans were also concerned. Representative Michael McCaul (R-Texas) was among several Republicans taking issue with the idea of super luxury gift. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) argued the president’s plane should not come from a foreign nation. Read more here. here
But Mr. Trump is none too happy with these criticisms, noting “I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer. I mean, I could be a stupid person say, ‘No, we don’t want a free, very expensive airplane.’ But it was — I thought it was a great gesture.” Only stupid people reject gifts.
Here’s My Proposal
Most of us are likely familiar with the concept of regifting (though I’m not sure about Mr. Trump). Merriam Webster defines it as giving a previously received gift to someone else. I propose that Mr. Trump sell his flying palace at market value ($400 million). Perhaps Elon would be willing to buy it. And then regift the proceeds to our nation’s workers. $400 million would be a BIG deal for the working men and women of this country. They are, after all, the mainstay and the lifeblood of our families, communities, business enterprises, and non-profit organizations, along with a goodly portion of our national economy. Some voted for Mr. Trump and continue to be vocal supporters.
I’m confident that Confined Space readers would have good ideas on how to spend that $400 million to advance the health, safety, and well-being of our nation’s workers and their families. Let’s try some crowdsourcing. Here are a few ideas to get us started; please add your own in the comments.
- Raise the minimum wage
- Provide paid sick leave and family leave, ensuring that workers can take time off for illness or caregiving without losing income or their jobs.
- Ensure access to affordable healthcare, retirement plans, and paid time off.
- Fully fund and provide adequate resources and staffing for all agencies and programs in the Department of Labor agencies, e.g., OSHA, MSHA, the Wage and Hour Division, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment and Training Administration, Veterans Employment and Training Service, and the Women’s Bureau.
- Enforce federal child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
- Enforce and update OSHA regulations to address current risks, including heat stress, ergonomic injuries, workplace violence, and chemical exposures.
- Restore and fully fund NIOSH, our federal government’s only workplace health and safety research agency.
- Address harassment, discrimination, and systemic barriers to ensure all workers are treated with dignity and fairness.
$400 million won’t accomplish all of those goals, but I think we can all agree that if you have an extra $400 million hanging around, those are far better uses of the money than sending Donald Trump’s flying gold palace to his Library Fund.