The Air Force has canceled plans to spend $24 million to replace two refrigerator “chillers” on President Trump’s Air Force One jet, the service has told Congress.
The service and the White House came to the conclusion that nixing the new units to cool food on the jet makes “prudent fiscal sense,” Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson wrote in a letter to Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., who sits on the Armed Services Committee.
Boeing was awarded the contract to replace the aging refrigerators but has been notified of the cancellation, according to Wilson.
“While not optimal, mitigation options exist to ensure food security until new aircraft are developed,” she wrote in the letter dated May 29. Courtney’s office published the letter on Monday.
The existing refrigerators were part of the modified Boeing 747 that went into service in 1990 and provides air transportation for the president.
“Clearly, the Air Force is making the right decision cancel the previously announced sole-source contract and hit restart on this process,” Courtney said in a statement. “Even with the understanding that the Air Force One mission brings with it unique requirements and challenges, a $24 million sole-source contract just didn’t pass the smell test.”
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