U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price is stepping down in the wake of an escalating scandal in which he was revealed to have jetted around the world on taxpayers’ dime. In a statement Friday, Price said he has resigned, although it’s likely he would have been fired otherwise. President Trump said earlier this week that he was “not happy” with Price and was looking at the scandal closely.
TOM PRICE HAS RESIGNED pic.twitter.com/6gNw6wHW8g
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) September 29, 2017
Price–a noted critic of government spending–reportedly spent more than $400,000 of taxpayer money on private flights and took military aircraft to Europe, Asia, and Africa at a cost of $500,000, Politico reported.
But his high-flying activities might be part of a broader “travelgate” scandal for the Trump administration. As our Steven Melendez wrote last week, other administration officials are facing scrutiny for similar tax-funded trips. More on those numbers here.
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