Price’s jet charters raise ire of Trump
Is firing planned? ‘We’ll see,’ he says
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump declared Wednesday that he’s “not happy” with his top health official, putting Tom Price’s job in jeopardy after his costly charter flights triggered a congressional investigation of administration travel.
Asked whether he’s planning to fire Price, Trump responded, “We’ll see.”
A former GOP congressman from Georgia, Price played a supporting role in the fruitless Republican effort to repeal former President Barack Obama’s health care law, which has been another source of frustration for the president. Price is known as a conservative policy expert, but his penchant for taking private charter aircraft on the taxpayer’s dime is creating new headaches for the White House.
Late in the day, Price’s office said he’s heard the criticism and has taken it to heart. There was no indication he’d be stepping down.
Prompted partly by controversy over Price, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Wednesday sent requests for detailed travel records to the White House and 24 departments and agencies, dating back to Trump’s first day in office.
The letters were signed by the committee’s chairman, Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., and its ranking Democrat, Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland. Lawmakers are demanding information on political appointees’ use of government planes for personal travel, as well as their use of private charters for official travel. The committee wants details by Oct. 10.
The president vented his displeasure with Price to reporters as he left the White House for a trip to sell his tax overhaul in Indianapolis.
“I was looking into it, and I will look into it, and I will tell you personally I’m not happy about it,” Trump responded when asked about Price’s travel. “I am not happy about it. I’m going to look at it. I’m not happy about it and I let him know it.”
Price’s travels were first reported last week by Politico, which said it had identified 26 charter flights at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Cheaper commercial flights were a viable option in many cases.
On a June trip to Nashville, Tenn., Price also had lunch with his son, who lives in that city, according to Politico. Another trip was from Dulles International Airport in the Washington suburbs to Philadelphia International Airport, a distance of 135 miles.
The Health and Human Services Department inspector general’s office began a review last week to determine whether Price complied with federal travel regulations, which generally require officials to minimize costs.
Price’s office said the secretary’s demanding schedule sometimes does not permit the use of commercial flights. Officials said Price is cooperating fully with the inspector general’s probe and will stop using charter flights until that investigation is complete.
A group of Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday called for Price’s resignation. Reps. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, Ted Lieu of California, Brenda Lawrence of Michigan, Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Pramila Jayapal of Washington said in a letter that Price breached the public’s trust.
Other members of the Cabinet contacted by The Associated Press last week said they personally foot the bill for chartered travel or reimburse taxpayers the difference between commercial and chartered travel.