Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price said Thursday he will pay about $52,000 toward the reimbursement of private-charter travel expenses.
“I will write a personal check to the U.S. 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 has been under fire for using private jets to conduct government business after a Politico investigation found that he had taken more than 26 charter flights since May, costing more than $400,000. On some trips, business coincided with personal travel.
His expenses total $51,887.31, an HHS spokesperson told the Hill.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday he was “not happy” with Price’s use of taxpayer money, but declined to give a firm answer on whether he would be fired, telling reporters instead, “We’ll see.”
