In September of 2017 Health and Human Service Secretary, Tom Price resigned when pressure mounted against his misuse of chartered flights for travel that triggered an Health and Human Services Inspector General investigation.
On Friday the Health and Human Services Inspector General, released their report.
The fifty-eight page report states that twenty out of the twenty-one trips that Price took while secretary “did not comply with Federal requirements, including all 12 chartered aircraft trips.”
The report states that examples for the noncompliance related use of chartered aircraft are, “not completing a cost comparison to commercial airline service, not adhering to contract requirements, and not properly authorizing the use of chartered aircraft.”
The IG also found that Price was non-compliant in keeping travel records for not only himself, but “certain HHS travelers.”
Price’s travel cost for the twenty-one trips cost $1.2 million using chartered aircraft, MilAir, commercial aircraft, and the Presidential fleet.
The report finds that at least $341,000 of travel expenses was waste of federal funds.
The IG recommends HHS review the lack of compliance and based on the review, determine appropriate administrative actions to recoup:
- $333,014 related to the “authorization and use of chartered aircraft.”
- $4,926 related to “travel that started or ended in locations other than the official duty station.”
- $2,960 related to “excess travel costs.”
The report comes just a week after embattled EPA director Scott Pruitt resigned under a myriad of ethical scandals.
Tom Price worked for the Trump administration from February 2017 until he resigned in September 2017.
