Trump's HHS head admits he bilked taxpayers out of $400k, but he won’t pay up

Yet Price only intends to pay back a little over one-eighth of the money.

After Politico exposed that Price took at least 26 private charter flights, Price said he would “write a personal check to the US Treasury” for the expenses he incurred, and insisted he would “take no more private charter flights” while serving.

However, Politico indicates that the cost of the personal flights is “more than $400,000,” but the Price check will only be for $51,887.31. In his statement, Price said he would be paying only for “my seat on those planes,” leaving taxpayers on the hook for the rest of the costs.

The statement is a flip-flop, as Price previously defended his trips, insisting that the private flights allowed him to connect with “real American people.”

While he was enjoying his flights, Price was pushing for cuts to the National Institutes of Health and the Department he heads, to the tune of at least $6 billion.

Price, who is worth at least $10 million dollars, isn’t the only Trump Cabinet member under fire for luxury trips. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin is the subject of investigation for taking a government plane to see the solar eclipse, while he also tried to get another government flight to go on his honeymoon.

When he isn’t flying around on the taxpayer dime, Mnuchin has been busy attempting to secure massive tax cuts for people like himself and Price (along with Trump) while increasing taxes on working families.

It is unclear and undisclosed if any other members of Trump’s billionaire inner circle took to the skies at taxpayer expense.

But, considering Trump’s own constant luxury travel, it’s no surprise that his inner circle thinks it’s OK to stick taxpayers with exorbitant bills for their luxury travel, too.