US Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price on Thursday promised to repay the nearly US$52,000 cost of his seats on private charter flights, as expensive air travel by officials of US President Donald Trump’s administration drew sharp scrutiny from Congress.
“Today, I will write a personal check to the US Treasury for the expenses of my travel on private charter planes,” Price said in a statement. “The taxpayers won’t pay a dime for my seat on those planes.”
Price was one of a handful of senior officials in Trump’s administration put on the defensive over reports about their use of charter flights and government aircraft, sometimes for personal travel, when they could have flown commercial for less money.
Photo: AFP
Price told Fox News that Trump had spoken to him about the matter and was not happy.
Asked if he retained Trump’s confidence, Price said he worked at the president’s pleasure.
Washington media outlet Politico reported that Price had taken at least two dozen private charter flights since May at a cost to US taxpayers of more than US$400,000.
Politico in a report on Thursday night said the White House had approved the use of military aircraft for other trips by Price to Africa, Europe and Asia in the spring and summer that cost taxpayers more than US$500,000.
“Secretary Price will write a personal check to the US Treasury for US$51,887.31,” a spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services said on Thursday.
Price is paying his individual share of the charter flight cost, a department official said.
Senior US government officials travel frequently, but are generally expected to keep the costs down by taking commercial flights or the train when possible.
Price, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt and Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin were all in the spotlight for their travel habits.
Politico reported late on Thursday that US Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke took a charter flight from Las Vegas to Glacier Park International Airport in Montana in June that cost US$12,375. The route is served by commercial flights.
Zinke also took charter flights between St Croix and St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands in March, and used a military aircraft to travel to Norway in May, according to Politico.
“As with previous interior secretaries, the secretary traveled on charter flights when there were no commercial options available,” Department of the Interior spokeswoman Heather Swift said in a statement. “All travel is pre-approved by the ethics office before booking and the charter flights went through an additional level of due diligence.”
US Senator Chuck Grassley urged Trump in a statement “to emphasize to Cabinet secretaries the necessity of using reasonable and cost-effective modes of travel in accordance with federal restrictions.”
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