Tom Price’s Use Of Military Planes Pushes Cost Of Taxpayer-Funded Travel To Over $1M Since May
Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price says he will personally pay back his share of the $500,000 spent on chartered jets for his trips, which tallies $51,887.31. New reports find Price also used military flights to Europe costing an additional $500,000.
Politico:
Price Took Military Jets To Europe, Asia For Over $500K
The White House approved the use of military aircraft for multi-national trips by Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price to Africa and Europe this spring, and to Asia in the summer, at a cost of more than $500,000 to taxpayers. The overseas trips bring the total cost to taxpayers of Price’s travels to more than $1 million since May, according to a POLITICO review. (Pradhan and Diamond, 9/28)
The Associated Press:
Price Says He's Reimbursing Costs For His Private Flights
Fighting to keep his job, health secretary Tom Price says he'll write a personal check to reimburse taxpayers for his travel on charter flights taken on government business and pledged to fly commercial — "no exceptions." The repayment — $51,887.31, according to Price's office — covered only the secretary's seat. Price did not address the overall cost of the flights, which could amount to several hundred thousand dollars and is under investigation. (Alonso-Zaldivar and Lucey, 9/29)
The New York Times:
Chastened, Tom Price Tries To Deflect Anger Over Chartered Flights
Through intermediaries and the media, Mr. Trump has let it be known that offering reimbursement as repentance was no guarantee that Mr. Price would keep his job. On Thursday, Mr. Price tried anyway. “I look forward to gaining, regaining the trust that the American people, some of the American people, may have lost in the activities that I took,” Mr. Price said in an appearance on “Special Report with Bret Baier” on Fox News. (Rogers, Thrush and Haberman, 9/28)
The Washington Post:
Tom Price Apologizes For Private-Charter Flights, Pledges To Repay Taxpayers Nearly $52,000
The move came as House and Senate investigators are pressing Price, as well as other Cabinet members, to disclose the extent to which they have relied on noncommercial travel to travel across the United States and overseas. The recent revelations about these costly trips on military and private aircraft, at a time when the same officials have proposed dramatic cuts in the agencies they oversee, has put the administration on the defensive. (Eilperin, 9/28)
The Hill:
Democrats Unveil Bills To Ban Cabinet Members’ Private Jet Travel
House Democrats introduced legislation on Thursday to prevent Trump administration officials from using private jets on the taxpayers’ dime as multiple Cabinet heads come under fire for the practice. Two groups of Democrats unveiled bills with correspondingly flashy titles. ...The Swamp Flyers Act prohibits executive branch officials from using private jets with taxpayer funds unless they certify that no commercial flights were available. The Taxpayers DIME Act, meanwhile, ensures that senior federal officials can’t spend more funds on travel than is necessary and directs the Office of Government Ethics to report on ways to enhance current rules. (Marcos, 9/28)