Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have landed in hot water over their lavish 2025 campaign expenditures.
A Fox News Digital review of Federal Election Commission filings shows that Sanders, I-VT, spent over $550,000 on private jet travel in 2025 during the Fighting Oligarchy tour with Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY. Most of this spending happened in the first half of the year, aligning with tour stops. Meanwhile, Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign shelled out more than $53,000 on upscale hotels across the country, including stays at luxury spots like The Langham-Huntington in Pasadena and Hotel El Convento in San Juan.
The issue has sparked fierce debate among observers who question the consistency of their public stances. With both politicians championing climate action and railing against wealth inequality, many see a glaring disconnect in their high-flying, high-rolling choices.
Photos and footage obtained by Fox News Digital captured Sanders boarding a luxury Bombardier Challenger jet in Bakersfield, California, in April 2025. A source also spotted Ocasio-Cortez joining him on the same plane, and later that evening, both were seen exiting it in Sacramento for another rally.
This jet, operated by Ventura Air Services, boasts top-tier comfort and costs up to $15,000 per hour. Sanders’ filings detail at least $354,000 spent with Ventura Jets alone, plus additional funds to other luxury providers like N-Jet, which promises a stylish, personal touch, the New York Post reported.
Private jets, as a 2021 Transport and Environment report notes, can be up to 14 times more polluting than commercial flights. For two outspoken Green New Deal supporters—Sanders calling climate change an existential threat—this choice raises eyebrows among even their staunchest allies.
Sanders, no stranger to private travel, spent over $1.9 million on jets during his 2020 presidential bid. He’s not backing down now either, brushing off criticism with a blunt justification.
“That’s the only way to get around. No apologies for that,” Sanders told Bret Baier on Fox News’ “Special Report.”
“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,” he added.
Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign splurged on boutique stays, like $3,165.76 at The Leo Kent Hotel in Tucson around a tour rally. Other stops included the Asher Adams in Salt Lake City and Lansdowne Resort & Spa in Virginia, totaling over $53,000 in 2025.
Yet, she’s previously blasted corporate excess, once tweeting in 2023, “For real, how many private jets do these CEOs need?” The irony isn’t lost on those watching her check into five-star accommodations while preaching against elitism.
Neither Sanders’ nor Ocasio-Cortez’s teams responded to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment on these expenditures. The silence speaks volumes to those already skeptical of their messaging.
For many hardworking Americans, this reeks of the same double standards the left often decries in others. If climate change is truly an existential crisis, why not opt for less carbon-heavy travel? If wealth inequality is the enemy, why cozy up in luxury suites?
The progressive crusade against “the system” starts to look hollow when its loudest voices live like the one percent they condemn.
This saga may fuel further distrust in politicians who lecture on sacrifice while seemingly exempting themselves. What’s next—will their base demand accountability, or simply shrug at the contradiction?
