Trump health secretary takes private flights costing tens of thousands: report

[turbinetree]

Source: The Hill

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tom Price reportedly broke with precedent when he used private jets last week for five different business flights.

The use of the private jets costs significantly more than flying commercially, Politico reported. According to the news outlet, his travels between Sept. 13 and 15 would likely cost at least $60,000.

Price used the private jets to get to places including Maine, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, where he took part in discussions and visited community health centers.

In the past, Obama administration secretaries flew commercial when they traveled around the U.S., Politico reported.
“As part of the HHS mission to enhance and protect the health and well-being of the American people, Secretary Price travels on occasion outside Washington to meet face to face with the American people to hear their thoughts and concerns firsthand,” an HHS spokesperson told Politico.

Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/351488-trump-health-secretary-takes-private-flights-costing-tens-of

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This ass**** is not "trying to enhance and protect the health and well being of the American people"

Bullsh*t..........................he should be impeached, he should have never been given the job.

[Scarsdale]

1. He is one of many

who should never have been given the job. Name ONE official in this clown car of a presidency who is competant and SANE? Since they all have (R) behind their names, the gop lets it all ride. Obviously, the gop does not care that these people are making their party look greedy and unqualified.

[demmiblue]

2. Blast from the past: Tom Price Discusses the Use of Private Jets by Congress on CNBC

(Good lawd, that host is annoying af.)

[mahatmakanejeeves]

3. I've got the Winter-Spring 2013 Amtrak system timetable right in front of me. AMA

It's the first one that showed up when I went looking for one. Amtrak does not issue paper timetables anymore. It's good enough for government.

Acelas are numbered in the 2100s and 2200s. The first one out of WAS headed north is the 5:00 a.m. train, Number 2150. There's no arrival time shown for PHL, but it departs PHL at 6:30 a.m.

Even if he took Train 170, the Northeast Regional service train that leaves WAS at 4:48, he'd arrive at PHL at 6:41. It leaves PHL five minutes later, at 6:46. So he could take just a bit longer and save the gummint a few bucks.

I don't know what the gummint fare is for Amtrak.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

4. That event that Price spent $25K to fly to was actually in Delaware Co., even CLOSER to DC than PHL

Last edited Wed Sep 20, 2017, 05:15 PM - Edit history (1)

Retweeted by David Fahrenthold: https://twitter.com/fahrenthold

That event that HHS' Price spent $25K to fly to was actually in Delaware County, even CLOSER to DC by land than PHL

Link to tweet

In Delco, HHS Secretary Tom Price announces $144 million in addiction-treatment grants

Updated: SEPTEMBER 15, 2017 — 4:06 PM EDT

by Aubrey Whelan, Staff Writer @aubreyjwhelan | [e-mail]

The Trump administration is handing out $144 million in grants to combat the opioid epidemic — but officials still won’t say when or how the president plans to declare it a national emergency, as he promised last month.

Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price and White House adviser Kellyanne Conway announced the grants during a visit to an addiction-treatment center in Delaware County on Friday, part of a listening tour on the crisis in opioid addiction.

Also retweeted by David Fahrenthold: https://twitter.com/fahrenthold

Nick Timiraos is with The Wall Street Journal.

Health secretary Tom Price, a critic of federal spending, uses private jet travel, a break in precedent http://politi.co/2hdygKI

Link to tweet

Retweeted by Nick Timiraos: https://twitter.com/NickTimiraos

26 years ago a White House chief of staff was ousted because he took a car to New York. A CAR.

Link to tweet

ETA, 5:12 p.m.:

Also retweeted by David Fahrenthold: https://twitter.com/fahrenthold

THE PLANE — Here’s the 30-seat charter that Tom Price, Kellyanne Conway took for their ~$25,000 DC-Philly roundtrip. http://ultimatejetcharters.com/aircraft/

Link to tweet

* * * * *

Here's the *still unnecessarily fancy* first-class Acela they could have taken FOR LESS THAN 3.5% OF WHAT THE PRIVATE JET COST

Link to tweet

[mahatmakanejeeves]

5. Adding links to the story at Politico and Philly.com

Price’s private-jet travel breaks precedent

HHS secretary took chartered aircraft on five flights last week, while his predecessors would fly commercial.

By DAN DIAMOND and RACHANA PRADHAN 09/19/2017 10:30 PM EDT

....
Sample round-trip fares for the United flight ranged from $447 to $725 per person on United.com, though the price would have been lower if booked in advance or if Price’s party received government discounts. Similarly priced commercial flights also left from Reagan National Airport and Baltimore Washington International. By contrast, the cost of chartering the plane was roughly $25,000, according to Ultimate Jet Charters, which owns the Embraer 135LR twin jet which ferried Price and about 10 other people to the clinic event.

In addition, Amtrak ran four trains starting at 7 a.m. that left Washington’s Union Station and arrived at Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station no later than 9:58 a.m. The least-expensive ticket, on the 7:25 a.m. train, costs $72 when booked in advance. It is just a 125-mile drive from HHS headquarters in downtown Washington to the Mirmont Treatment Center outside of Philadelphia, where Price spoke. Google Maps estimates the drive as about two-and-a-half hours. A one-way trip was estimated by travel planners to be about $30 in gasoline per SUV plus no more than $16 in tolls.
....

Eddie Moneypenny of Ultimate Jetcharters, who confirmed that his company’s 30-seat jet was used for a Dulles-Philadelphia roundtrip last week, said he wasn’t aware that the trip was for a government official and the charter had been booked through a third party.

We can look up that tail number.

Ultimate Jetcharters Aircraft

AIRCRAFT

We operate a fleet of 30-seat Dornier 328 and Embraer 135LR Jets. All of our Aircraft are state-of-the-art equipment with very nice, comfortable leather seating. Also, our flight crews are very experienced, friendly, and professional. Our 328 and 135LR Jets are strategically positioned at multiple locations throughout the country which allows us to provide the most cost-effective and convenient travel solutions for our clients.

Report: HHS chief Tom Price spent $25K for private jet from D.C. to Philly

Updated: SEPTEMBER 20, 2017 — 7:46 AM EDT

When Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price flew to Philadelphia last Friday he took a private jet that cost taxpayers about $25,000, Politico reports.

Politico says the 135-mile trip from Dulles International Airport to Philadelphia International Airport was one of five private flights Price took on official business last week.

“Price, a frequent critic of federal spending who has been developing a plan for department-wide cost savings, declined to comment,” Politico said.

It said Price could have flown to Philadelphia on a commercial flight for anywhere from $447 to $725 per person, round trip, or made the trip by train for as low as $72 when booked in advance.
....

Published: September 20, 2017 — 7:43 AM EDT | Updated: September 20, 2017 — 7:46 AM EDT