California Gov. Gavin Newsom has opened a fresh line of attack against President Donald Trump, accusing the administration of reducing support for people with developmental disabilities while spending hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars on a luxury aircraft donated by Qatar.
Newsom delivered the criticism while answering questions about federal investigations involving people connected to him. He described the administration as corrupt and argued that its spending choices revealed misplaced priorities.
“The Trump administration cut the budget for kids with developmental disabilities,” Newsom said, before contrasting those reductions with money spent modifying an aircraft for presidential travel. His remarks quickly circulated through social media, including a Facebook reel posted by the California governor’s official account.
However, the governor’s statement combines several separate federal budget decisions. The available records show that disability-related programs face significant proposed reductions, although some disability funding would increase or remain intact. The aircraft is also owned by the federal government, not Trump personally, even though its unusual origin and possible future transfer have triggered ethical concerns.
Federal disability programs face targeted reductions.
The Trump administration’s proposed fiscal year 2027 budget would eliminate funding for several programs serving people with developmental disabilities.
The plan would remove $43 million from the University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. These university-based centers conduct research, train professionals, and help communities improve services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The proposal would also eliminate $12 million for Developmental Disabilities Projects of National Significance. Those projects support national initiatives involving employment, housing, family assistance, education, and community inclusion.
Another section of the Health and Human Services budget reduces funding for birth defects, developmental disabilities, disability, and health activities from $182 million in 2026 to $154 million in 2027. That represents a proposed reduction of $28 million.
Still, the budget does not eliminate every major disability program. It proposes $125 million for state developmental-disability councils and protection and advocacy organizations. Those groups help people challenge discrimination, report abuse, access services, and defend their legal rights.
The administration also proposes increasing Independent Living Programs from $128 million to $228 million. Federal officials say the additional $100 million would help states absorb some responsibilities previously handled by programs marked for elimination.
That makes Newsom’s general criticism directionally accurate, but incomplete. Specific developmental-disability programs would lose funding, while the overall disability-program category would increase by approximately $10 million due to the independent-living increase.
Congress must approve the federal budget, meaning the proposed cuts are not automatically final.
Qatar’s luxury jet creates a political storm.
Newsom’s reference to a “private plane” concerns a Boeing 747-8 donated by Qatar and accepted by the Defense Department in 2025.
The aircraft, valued at approximately $400 million, was modified for presidential travel while Boeing continued working on two long-delayed replacement Air Force One planes. Trump took his first flight aboard a Qatari aircraft in July 2026.
The Air Force has said the cost of security modifications and upgrades remained below $400 million. Democratic lawmakers have argued that the real cost may be significantly higher once staffing, maintenance, training, communications systems, and other expenses are included.
Before the work began, one American official estimated that transforming the jet to full presidential standards could cost as much as $1.5 billion and take several years. The accelerated project reportedly preserved much of the aircraft’s original interior while prioritizing essential communications and security equipment.
The aircraft is not officially Trump’s personal property. White House officials have repeatedly said Qatar donated it to the United States Air Force rather than to the president.
Still, the arrangement has faced questions because the administration previously discussed transferring the plane to Trump’s presidential library after he leaves office. Critics say that possibility creates the appearance that a foreign government provided something of lasting value connected to a sitting president.
Security questions add to the controversy.
The spending debate intensified after Trump briefly returned to an older Air Force One during a July trip from Turkey.
Images of the Qatari jet indicated that it lacked some missile-warning and countermeasure equipment visible on the older presidential aircraft. The administration maintained that the newer plane met the security standards required for its missions, although some complex systems were reportedly omitted to expedite delivery.
The White House said the aircraft switch formed part of a security strategy involving distraction and misdirection. Trump later boarded the newer jet in Britain and used it for the flight back to Washington.
The episode strengthened criticism from lawmakers who had already demanded greater transparency about the plane’s cost, safety systems and funding sources. It also supported Newsom’s broader argument that the aircraft represented an expensive political priority at a time when domestic programs were being reduced.
A budget fight built around competing priorities
Newsom’s comparison is politically powerful because it places two emotionally charged subjects side by side: services for vulnerable families and a luxury presidential aircraft.
The facts present a more complicated picture. The administration has proposed eliminating several developmental-disability programs and cutting other health initiatives. At the same time, it has preserved funding for protection and advocacy and proposed a substantial increase for independent living services.
The United States also spent close to $400 million converting the donated aircraft, according to official estimates. However, describing it solely as Trump’s “private plane” leaves out its current status as a military aircraft used for presidential travel.
The deeper dispute concerns priorities. Newsom sees the budget as evidence that prestige and presidential comfort received attention while specialized programs were sacrificed. The administration argues that it is reorganizing disability services to remove duplication and meet urgent presidential transportation needs.
Congress will ultimately decide which disability reductions survive. Until lawmakers complete that process, Newsom’s accusation will remain partly a warning about proposed cuts and partly a political judgment about what federal spending choices say about the administration.
