Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Tom Price's Use Of Military Planes Pushes Cost Of Taxpayer-Funded Travel To Over $1M Since May
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 Hill: Price Says He's Working To 'Regain' Trump’s Trust
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tom Price said Thursday evening he looks forward to regaining President Trump's trust after the president said he was not happy about his Cabinet member using pricey private charter jets for official government business. "I work at the pleasure of the president. The president is a remarkable leader. I'm incredibly privileged to serve in his Cabinet and work on behalf of the American people," Price told Fox News's Bret Baier on "Special Report." (Manchester, 9/28)
Politico: Price Chalks Up Jet Travel To Trump’s ‘Very Ambitious Agenda'
Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price said Thursday that his use of federal money to travel on private jets was part of an all-out effort to carry out President Donald Trump’s “very ambitious agenda.” (Lima, 9/28)
Politico: Price Says He’ll Repay Taxpayers For His Private Jet Travel
Many of Price’s flights were between major cities that offered inexpensive alternatives on commercial airlines, including Nashville, Philadelphia and San Diego. On some of those trips, Price mixed official business with personal affairs. (Pradhan, 9/28)
Vox: Tom Price Will (Partially) Pay The Bill For His Expensive Charter Planes
The practice was a sharp departure from his predecessors under the Obama administration, Politico noted, who usually flew commercial. Ethics experts have questioned the propriety of such trips. “This wasteful conduct reflects disdain for the ethical principle of treating public service as a public trust,” Walter Shaub, who ran the US government ethics office under President Barack Obama, told Politico. “Public office isn’t supposed to come with frivolous perks at taxpayer expense.” (Scott, 9/28)
The Hill: Price: 'I Think We've Still Got The Confidence Of The President'
Embattled Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price said on Thursday that he thinks he still has the support of President Trump amid an uproar over his use of charter aircraft. "We're going to work through this, and I think we've still got the confidence of the president," Price told reporters as he left an event promoting the flu vaccine at the National Press Club. (Weixel, 9/28)
Politico: Trump Fuming Over Price's Charter Flights
President Donald Trump and his top aides are fuming over Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price’s use of expensive private jets, with some advisers privately calling for Price’s ouster. Trump rebuked Price in sharp terms Wednesday but declined to bat down speculation that the HHS chief could be fired for his lavish spending of taxpayer dollars. (Dawsey, Restuccia and Nelson, 9/27)
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 Washington Post: Tom Price Apologizes For Private-Charter Flights, Pledges To Repay Taxpayers Nearly $52,000
House and Senate investigators are pressing Price, as well as other Cabinet members, to disclose the extent to which they have relied on noncommercial transportation 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, have put the administration on the defensive. (Eilperin, 9/28)
Bloomberg: Price Plans To Write $51,800 Check For Flights On Private Jets
Senator Charles Grassley, an Iowa Republican who is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, wrote Trump Thursday suggesting chartered travel should be halted government-wide and asked the president to detail plans “to ensure that cabinet secretaries use the most fiscally responsible travel.” (Edney, 9/28)
CQ: Price Vows To Reimburse Taxpayers For Private Plane Use
“Considering the many travel options to and from Washington, D.C., I'm urging you to emphasize to cabinet secretaries the necessity of using reasonable and cost-effective modes of travel in accordance with federal restrictions,” Grassley wrote to Trump. (McIntire, 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)
