U.S. Secretary of Health Tom Price resigns over Private Jet Scandal
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tom Price,
has resigned following revelations that he had taken expensive private
jet travel at the taxpayer’s expense to conduct official business.
He offered his resignation on Friday and the President accepted, a statement from Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders read.
On Thursday, Price cut a check for the costs he incurred. But he had
chosen only to pay for the price of his seats on the plane (just under
$52,000) and not the total cost of the trips themselves (which exceeded
$1 million).
In a copy of his resignation letter posted to Twitter, Price thanked Trump for the “opportunity to serve the American people”.
“I have spent 40 years both as a doctor and public servant putting
people first,” he wrote. “I regret that the recent events have created a
distraction from those important objectives.”
“You may be rest assured that I will continue to support your
critical priorities going ahead because failure is not an option for the
American people,” he added.
Thank you @POTUS for the opportunity to serve the American people alongside the dedicated folks of @HHSGov. It's been an honor & privilege. pic.twitter.com/nUBNsEDsPv— Tom Price, M.D. (@SecPriceMD) September 29, 2017
According to the Guardian, Price’s tenure was also damaged by his inability to shepherd the process of repealing and replacing Obamacare.
He had championed repeal legislation when he served in the House of
Representatives. But he was notably distant from the debate while at
HHS—an absence that reportedly irritated President Trump.
“The President intends to designate Don J. Wright of
Virginia to serve as Acting Secretary, effective at 11:59 p.m. on
September 29, 2017. Mr. Wright currently serves as the Deputy Assistant
Secretary for Health and Director of the Office of Disease Prevention
and Health Promotion.” a statement reads.
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