Dem Rep. Pallone Asks IG to Look at Tom Price's Travel

Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., is calling on the inspector general of the Health and Human Services Department to look into a report that HHS Secretary Tom Price used private jets for business travel, The Hill reports.

"I would remind Secretary Price that taxpayer funds are not meant to be used as a jet-setting slush fund," Pallone said. "There is no reason to be regularly chartering private flights at the taxpayers' expense between commercially serviced routes such as Washington, D.C. to Philadelphia."

"My colleagues and I will be looking into this further and we will be asking the HHS Office of the Inspector General for a full accounting of Secretary Price's travel."

Pallone, who is the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee urged the inspector general to look into it after a Politico report detailed Price used private jets on five separate flights for official business last week.

Politico estimated Price's travel cost tens of thousands of dollars more than commercial flights.

• Report: Price Flying on Private Jets Instead of Commercial Planes
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