Key facts
- Rand Paul's staff traveled by private jet using taxpayer dollars.
- Expenditures for private jet travel by Rand Paul and his staff totaled over $67,000 across multiple trips in late 2024 and mid-2025.
- One trip in mid-October 2024 cost $17,847 for travel within Kentucky.
- A trip later in October 2024 cost $24,371 for travel within Kentucky.
- In early June 2025, a trip for Paul and three staffers cost $14,198 for travel within Kentucky and to Washington D.C.
- A late September 2025 flight from Kentucky to Ashland cost $6,990.
Senator Rand Paul and his staff have utilized private jets for travel across Kentucky and to Maryland, with expenditures totaling over $67,000 in taxpayer funds between late 2024 and mid-2025. The trips, arranged through New Flight Solutions, included multiple flights within Kentucky to various cities and a journey to Frederick, Maryland.
According to Senate expenditure records, one trip in mid-October 2024 cost $17,847 for travel within Kentucky. Later that same month, another private jet trip cost $24,371 for travel from Bowling Green to other parts of the state. In early June 2025, an expenditure of $14,198 covered Paul's transportation and that of three staffers for travel within Kentucky and on to Washington D.C. Later in June 2025, a charge of $13,351 was listed for Paul to travel from Bowling Green to Frederick, Maryland. In late September 2025, he flew on a charter plane from Bowling Green to Ashland for $6,990.
In a statement, Carmichael, a representative for Paul, explained that the travel helps the senator visit more of Kentucky and engage with constituents by allowing him to travel between locations more quickly. Carmichael also defended Paul's fiscal stewardship, noting that the senator has returned over $9.2 million from his official office budget to the U.S. Treasury. Paul's campaign committee and leadership PAC have also spent more than $113,000 on private jets through New Flight Solutions since 2012.