Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, spent more than $550,000 in campaign funds on private jet travel during 2025, according to a review of Federal Election Commission filings obtained by Fox News Digital.
The filings show that the majority of the private aviation spending occurred during the first two quarters of the year, through July, a period that coincided with Sanders’ nationwide “Fighting Oligarchy” tour alongside Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York.
The pair made numerous stops across the country during that time, as reported by Fox News.
HYPOCRITICAL MUCH?
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who crisscrossed the country last year on a Fighting Oligarchy tour with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., spent over $550,000 in 2025 on private jet travel for himself using campaign funds.
But he wants you to stop… pic.twitter.com/1g5cd7AIfk
— Ashley (TeamTrump47) (@TeamTrump47) February 5, 2026
In April, between tour stops, Fox News Digital obtained photographs of Sanders boarding a Bombardier Challenger private jet at Meadows Field Airport in Bakersfield, California. A source also reported seeing Ocasio-Cortez board the aircraft.
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Later that evening, footage showed the two lawmakers exiting the plane in Sacramento, where they were scheduled to appear at a second rally that day.
The Bombardier Challenger jet was operated by Ventura Air Services, which advertises the aircraft as having “one of the widest cabins of any business jet available today” and offering “superior cabin comfort for its passengers.”
According to the company’s website, the jet can cost as much as $15,000 per hour.
FEC records indicate Sanders spent at least $354,000 of his 2025 campaign funds on private jet services through Ventura Jets.
Additional payments for private air travel went to N-Jet and Cirrus Aviation Services. N-Jet’s website states the company emphasizes a “personal touch,” promising customers will “arrive in style with your luxury, comfort and safety always top of mind.”
Sanders has been a vocal proponent of the Green New Deal and has repeatedly described climate change as an “existential threat.”
When asked last year about his use of private jets, Sanders defended the practice during an appearance on Fox News’ “Special Report” with Bret Baier.
“That’s the only way to get around,” Sanders said.
“You run a campaign, and you do three or four or five rallies in a week. [It is] the only way you can get around to talk to 30,000 people. You think I’m gonna be sitting on a waiting line at United … while 30,000 people are waiting?”
“That’s the only way to get around. No apologies for that. That’s what campaign travel is about. We’ve done it in the past. We’re gonna do it in the future,” he added.
Ah yes, using private jets is totally fine if it’s for your political campaigning, of which you preach to voters to go green.
The hubris and hypocrisy is astounding. pic.twitter.com/oVNrB3kpSn
— Alex Armstrong (@Alexarmstrong) May 8, 2025
The 2025 spending follows a similar pattern from Sanders’ failed 2020 presidential campaign, when his campaign spent more than $1.9 million on private jet travel, including flights with Apollo Jets and the Advanced Aviation Team, a Virginia-based operator.
Private jet use has drawn criticism from climate activists aligned with Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez. A 2021 report by Transport and Environment found that private jets can be up to 14 times more polluting than commercial aircraft.
In 2023, Ocasio-Cortez criticized corporate jet travel, saying, “For real, how many private jets do these CEOs need? It is insatiable. It is unacceptable.”
AOC said that CEOs flying on Private Jets was Bad, and now she is flying on Private Jets to Protest Oligarchy.
And a Few Months Ago AOC Demanded that ALL AMERICANS be Forced to Drive The Electric Vehicles that HER DEMENTED FOLLOWERS are Now Fire Bombing with Gasoline. pic.twitter.com/pApdnu4lPx
— Willie D ✝️ Praying For America (@WillieDMack1) April 24, 2025
Fox News Digital said it contacted Sanders’ office and campaign for comment on the 2025 spending but did not receive a response before publication.
Conservative political communications consultant Matt Gorman commented on the disclosures, saying, “You don’t expect a socialist to fly commercial, do you? There’s no bigger hypocrite than the liberal who chastises us for eating meat and using gas stoves, yet flies in private jets.”
In addition to the private jet expenses, campaign finance records show significant spending tied to Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign during the tour.
An April 25 FEC filing lists a $3,165.76 payment to The Leo Kent Hotel, a boutique high-rise in Tucson, around the time of a Fighting Oligarchy rally in the city.
Throughout 2025, Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign also reported thousands of dollars in lodging expenses at upscale hotels, including the Asher Adams Hotel in Salt Lake City, Hotel Vermont in Burlington, The Langham-Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, California, Hotel El Convento in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and the Lansdowne Resort & Spa in Virginia.
Fox News Digital reported it also reached out to representatives for Ocasio-Cortez regarding more than $53,000 in campaign spending on higher-end hotels during 2025 but did not receive a response.
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