RFK Jr. uses military aircraft as he campaigns for GOP in midterms

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was given access to military aircraft for his travels across the country, including as part of Republicans’ push ahead of the midterm elections, according to four people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss his travel.

Kennedy flew aboard a military jet as he joined Iowa GOP candidates in that state last month, two of those people said. He has sparingly used this more costly form of transport for other trips since he became health secretary, several people said, although they declined to specify those trips.

The White House, as well as lawyers for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), signed off on the plan to let Kennedy use military jets, five people said. Several people also said the use of military aircraft has been infrequent, given the additional costs incurred from their use, and that there are protocols in place to determine whether to use a government plane.

An Air Force-operated Gulfstream jet flew on Aug. 17 from the Washington area to Des Moines, arriving several hours ahead of Kennedy’s first event in the state. The Defense Department charges about $9,000 per hour for use of that Gulfstream jet.

Two of the people said that the flight path and jet corresponded with Kennedy’s schedule. The White House and HHS did not respond to questions about that flight.

Under a government-wide program set up to reduce the costs of federal workers’ air travel, it costs roughly $250 to book a commercial flight between Washington and Des Moines.

Health officials have argued that Kennedy sometimes needs access to such flights given his intense schedule, his high public profile, his robust protective detail, and some of the threats that he and other senior officials have faced. Kennedy has been flanked by protective services on his trips using military aircraft, as well as by Stefanie Spear, a longtime aide, four people said.

The White House and HHS declined to comment on Kennedy’s use of military aircraft.

It was not immediately clear how many times Kennedy has used military aircraft for his travel. Kennedy has used commercial jets for many of his trips, officials said.

Richard Painter, the former chief White House ethics lawyer for President George W. Bush and a critic of Trump, said that he does not recall instances in the Bush administration when cabinet secretaries flew on military jets aside from officials involved in defense or others involved in foreign relations. He said such instances of other cabinet officials flying on the planes should be used only in exceptional circumstances and never be mixed with political events.

The administration’s decision to allow Kennedy to use military jets is a stark departure from President Donald Trump’s first term, when he pushed out Tom Price, his first health secretary, after reports that Price was relying on private jets for routine travel, including between Washington and Philadelphia.

White House officials then set new restrictions on cabinet officials’ use of private jets.

But in Trump’s second term, the president has been more permissive with some cabinet officials’ travel, even as FBI Director Kash Patel and other senior officials have drawn scrutiny over their use of government jets.

Trump also has praised Kennedy in terms that he did not extend to his first-term health secretaries Price and Alex Azar, with the president often hailing Kennedy’s famous political family. Some White House officials and Trump advisers credit Kennedy’s endorsement of Trump with helping attract independent voters and swing the 2024 presidential election.

“I didn’t want to fire a Kennedy,” Trump joked at an August event in the Oval Office describing his push for his top health officials to move faster on cutting drug prices. “The thought of firing this guy, I wasn’t going to do that.”

Kennedy’s use of military aircraft has faced some internal questions. Chris Klomp, a top HHS official whom Trump has nominated as the agency’s deputy secretary, questioned whether using a government jet was necessary in at least one case, three people said. Kennedy agreed with Klomp and opted not to use a jet in that case, two of the people said.

Since becoming health secretary in February 2025, Kennedy has traveled extensively around the country, including for a concerted effort last year to push states to adopt measures targeting the food supply, school lunches, and the food stamp program. He flew on commercial flights for those and other trips, four people said.

Kennedy this year launched a new tour traveling across the country to promote his Make America Healthy Again agenda, the movement born out of his 2024 political alliance with Trump.

White House officials have sought to deploy Kennedy ahead of November’s elections, believing that he can pull in a constituency that might not otherwise vote for Republicans. While in Iowa last month, Kennedy joined several GOP candidates, including Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who is seeking reelection, and Zach Lahn, who is running for governor, according to a review of his events, social media posts, and local news reports.

Both Miller-Meeks and Lahn face contested races, according to Cook Political Report. Lahn had spoken with Kennedy about his bid for the governorship as he was considering running, and his stance that pesticides are making Americans sick has won him backing from MAHA supporters.

In Iowa, Kennedy also announced an effort to help parents overcome addiction and visited a local community health center.

Trump officials have been particularly worried about Iowa, which has gone for Trump in each of his campaigns but has increasingly become a toss-up and could help determine control of Congress.

A Trump adviser earlier this year asked Kennedy to call third-party candidates in Iowa and ask them to drop out of their races, drawing complaints from Democrats and Libertarian Party leaders who accused the health secretary of illegally interfering in the races.