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 Asked if he would fire Price, Trump told reporters: "We'll see."
The House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform
Committee opened an investigation on Wednesday into travel by top
officials. The panel wrote to the White House and 24 federal
agencies requesting information about senior officials' aircraft
use.
Asked if he had confidence in Price after the reports on his travel,
Trump said: "I am looking at that very closely. I am not happy with
it. I will tell you I am not happy with it."
Trump has emphasized his efforts to save the U.S. government money,
for example by pressing for better prices for military aircraft.
While hosting the reality television program "The Apprentice," his
signature phrase was: "You're fired!"
Price has taken at least two dozen private charter flights since May
at a cost to taxpayers of about $300,000, according to Politico,
which first reported the travel.
HHS said Price had "heard the criticism and concerns" over his
travel. "He takes that very seriously and has taken it to heart,"
said HHS spokeswoman Caitlin Oakley.
"The Secretary has initiated an internal departmental review of the
procedures and processes that we go through for official travel to
determine whether there are any changes or reforms that are
necessary," she said.
On Friday, the HHS inspector general said it was reviewing Price's
travel on chartered aircraft. "The review focuses on whether the
travel complied with Federal Travel Regulations, but may encompass
other issues related to the travel," said Tesia Williams, a
spokeswoman.
As a Republican U.S. representative in 2009, Price chastised "the
fiscal irresponsibility" of private-plane use by government
officials in an appearance on CNBC television that he also posted on
Twitter.
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TWO OTHER OFFICIALS UNDER SCRUTINY
Two other senior officials are facing scrutiny over their travels.
The Treasury Department's Inspector General is reviewing the
circumstances of Secretary Steve Mnuchin's use of a government plane
to fly to Kentucky in August for a visit to Louisville and Fort
Knox. Mnuchin and his wife viewed the solar eclipse during the trip.
The frequent travels of the head of the Environmental Protection
Agency, Scott Pruitt, to Oklahoma are being investigated by that
agency's inspector general [L2N1LE1B3].
The House committee's announcement followed calls for a probe by its
top Democrat, Representative Elijah Cummings.
"We just want to see whether or not there's abuse there. We know of
three (departments) already, EPA, Treasury and of course Health,"
Cummings said outside the House on Wednesday.
Cummings wrote to Price last week: "The amount of taxpayer funds you
reportedly spent on just one single flight earlier this month is
more than some of my constituents make in an entire year."
Five Democratic House members wrote to Price on Wednesday urging him
to resign "in light of your breach of the public trust." They were
Representatives Ruben Gallego, Ted Lieu, Brenda Lawrence, Jamie
Raskin and Pramila Jayapal.
(Additional reporting by Yasmeen Abutaleb, Susan Heavey and Eric
Walsh; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Peter Cooney)
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