The outlet also reported this week that he took military aircraft for official trips to Africa, Europe and Asia, costing taxpayers more than $500,000.
Price said Thursday that he would reimburse the government for a portion of the costly charter flights he used to travel to various engagements at taxpayer expense.
Senior department sources told Fox News that the total amount of money Price will repay is $51,887.31, though that represents a fraction of the total cost.
HHS SECRETARY PRICE TO REPAY NEARLY $52G FOR CHARTER FLIGHTS
Speaking to Fox News' "Special Report with Bret Baier," Price described the repayment as "unprecedented."
"[It's] never been done, to our understanding, before by a secretary, in spite of the fact that previous administrations have had secretaries that flew an awful lot," Price said.
Price vowed in a statement, before his resignation, that "I will take no more private charter flights as Secretary of HHS. No exceptions."
DXing wrote:I saw that interview. What's not in the clip is his total deflection on answering whether or not he would reimburse the government for his partner's travel. Not too long ago another Secretary had to resign over similar circumstances and reimburse the government for expensive travel.
Mark wrote:Did Secretary of the Army Mark Esper pay for his wife to attend in 2017?
Regarding HHS Secretary Tom Price's racking up at least $400,000 in travel bills for chartered flights, I don't see any comparison of that to Buttigieg's use of an FAA aircraft to transport himself, his husband, and the other delegates to the Invictus Games to the Netherlands.
The Department of the Interior's office of the Solicitor’s Division of General Law determined that Zinke was allowed to violate department policy so that he could take his wife, Lola, and other individuals on flights intended for official government business. Zinke later reimbursed the government for his wife’s $15,000 trip.
miamiair wrote:Pete has to reimburse the DoT. Simple as that. Unless you are condoning paying for partner travel. Where will it stop?
Mark wrote:miamiair wrote:Pete has to reimburse the DoT. Simple as that. Unless you are condoning paying for partner travel. Where will it stop?
If his husband was named a member of the delegation, then, no. Otherwise, yes.
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. today announced the designation of a Presidential Delegation to The Netherlands to attend the Fifth Invictus Games on April 16, 2022 in The Hague.
The Honorable Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of Transportation, will lead the delegation.
Members of the Presidential Delegation:
Ms. Marja Verloop, Charge d’ Affaires a.i., U.S. Embassy The Hague
The Honorable Tammy Duckworth, United States Senator (D-IL)
The Honorable Donald M. Remy, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs
The Honorable Gina Ortiz Jones, Under Secretary of the Air Force
The Honorable Rory M. Brosius, Special Assistant to the President and Executive Director of Joining Forces ###
DXing wrote:Owning isn't what you are doing if you cannot legitimately defend the expense and have to resort to "Well everyone else is doing it!!"
According to the New York Post, Buttigieg has flown nearly 20 times on private jets funded by taxpayer dollars as transportation secretary.
Similar instances of private travel on the part of government officials has resulted in resignations. Tom Price, then-secretary of health and human services (HHS) under Donald Trump was forced to resign after racking up hundreds of thousands of dollars in inappropriate travel.
Buttigieg’s predecessor, Elaine Chao, was harshly criticized after using government planes seven times for costing tax payers $94,000.
Mark wrote: B) May have been bringing it up to make a dig at the same-sex marriage thing, because, you know, Fox News.