Washington (CNN) Tom Price, the embattled health and human services secretary, resigned Friday in the midst of a scandal over his use of private planes , a storm that enraged President Donald Trump and undercut his promise to bring accountability to Washington.

Price's departure came as he's being investigated by the department's inspector general for using private jets for multiple government business trips, even to fly distances often as short as from Washington to Philadelphia. The cost for the trips ran into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The scandal infuriated Trump, who viewed the controversy as a needless distraction from his agenda. Over the course of the week, Trump fumed to aides about Price's flights, which he deemed "stupid," according to multiple sources. Instead of moving past the storm, Price's offer to reimburse the government for only a fraction of the flights' costs enraged Trump further.

Speaking less than an hour before the resignation was announced, Trump bemoaned the optics of the matter, which he said obscured what otherwise had been a cost-saving tenure.

"I was disappointed because I didn't like it, cosmetically or otherwise. I was disappointed," Trump said.

Price and his aides have insisted that the trips he took by private charter jet had been approved through the usual legal and ethics offices at HHS. But the appearance of a millionaire Cabinet secretary flying routes easily navigated by far cheaper means proved an optics nightmare for an administration already accused of being out of touch with regular Americans.

Price is the latest casualty in an administration that's seen a high rate of dramatic departures over its first eight months. Since taking office, Trump has dismissed or seen quit his national security adviser, press secretary, communications director, chief strategist, acting attorney general and FBI director. The tumult has come as Trump struggles to fulfill key aspects of his agenda on Capitol Hill, and as his team confronts its most dire challenge yet on a storm-demolished Puerto Rico.

Trump was incensed that Price's actions undermined his vow to "drain the swamp," though Price is not the only Cabinet official to have used private air charters to travel around the country. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke have both flown on private planes during their tenures in the administration.

The White House said this week it was examining whether to adopt stricter oversight of Cabinet secretaries' travel plans.

The first sign of Trump's ire emerged on Wednesday, when he said only "we'll see" after being asked if he was planning to fire Price. Neither Trump nor his top aides could say in the following days whether Price retained the President's confidence.

Departing the White House on Friday, Trump called Price a "very fine man" who had nonetheless made a grave mistake.

"This is an administration that saves hundreds of millions of dollars on renegotiating things," Trump said. "So I don't like to see somebody that perhaps there's the perception that it wasn't right."

The resignation was announced as Trump flew aboard Air Force One for another weekend at his golf club in New Jersey. Stepping off his own plane, Trump offered a thumbs-up sign when reporters asked if he'd accepted Price's resignation.

Price himself offered a rosy picture of his future on Thursday evening, telling CNN that he "absolutely" planned to stay on as health secretary -- a claim that was ultimately not meant to be.

Not close

JUST WATCHED Tom Price vows reimbursement for flights Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Tom Price vows reimbursement for flights 01:34

Trump, who never grew as close to Price as he has to some of his aides, also viewed the health secretary as an ineffective promoter of Republican plans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, an effort that has failed multiple times over the course of Trump's eight months in office.

During a rally with Boy Scouts in July, Trump quipped that if Price couldn't wrangle the votes, he'd dismiss him.

"He better get them. Oh, he better," Trump said. "Otherwise I'll say, 'Tom, you're fired.' "

Price didn't get the votes, but it was his use of private aircraft that ultimately led to his demise in the Trump administration.

Politico first reported Price's use of charter jets for official business last week and found that the secretary has traveled on charter flights at least 24 times since May, citing people familiar with his travel plans and a review of HHS documents.

Charter plane operators estimated 24 flights would have cost $400,000, Politico reported. Commercial trips would have cost thousands of dollars less. The Health and Human Services inspector general is reviewing whether the means of travel was appropriate.

Later, it was revealed that Price also took US military aircraft on two trips abroad, bringing the total cost of his non-commercial travel to more than $1 million. The military flights were approved by the White House.

Breaking precedent

JUST WATCHED Price experiencing turbulence for private flights Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Price experiencing turbulence for private flights 04:39

Price's travel breaks with the precedent set by former President Barack Obama's HHS secretaries Sylvia Mathews Burwell and Kathleen Sebelius, who flew commercially when flying within the US.

Price said in a statement on Thursday that would write a personal check to the US Treasury to cover the cost of his travel on private charter planes.

"The taxpayers won't pay a dime for my seat on those planes," he proclaimed, though it was later revealed he would only pay for his seat and not the total cost of chartering a plane.

An HHS spokesperson said the check would come to $51,887.31, a small percentage of the total cost of the private flights.

Price, both in his role as Trump's health boss and as a Republican congressman from Georgia, was a frequent critic of government spending. He told CNN in April that he wanted to cut redundancy and waste in his agency.

"For us to say, 'OK, let's just throw more money at that system, let's see if more money helps that out,' is the wrong way," Price told CNN's Sanjay Gupta.

While at HHS, Price played an integral part helping craft many iterations of alternatives to Obamacare -- all of which ultimately failed to pass. Price was also part of the executive opioid commission announced by Trump in March.

Prior to his role in the administration, Price was a Georgia representative for over 10 years, and was an orthopedic surgeon for 20 years. He was the third doctor to hold the HHS secretary position.</s>WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump accepted the resignation of Tom Price, the embattled health and human services secretary, Friday in the midst of a scandal over his use of private planes.

Price’s departure came as he’s being investigated by the department’s inspector general for using private jets for multiple government business trips, even to fly distances often as short as from Washington to Philadelphia.

The scandal infuriated Trump, who viewed the controversy as a needless distraction from his agenda. Over the course of the week, Trump fumed to aides about Price’s flights, which he deemed “stupid,” according to multiple sources. Instead of moving past the storm, Price’s offer to reimburse the government for only a fraction of the flights’ costs enraged Trump further.

Price and his aides have insisted that the trips he took by private charter jet had been approved through the usual legal and ethics offices at HHS. But the appearance of a millionaire Cabinet secretary flying routes easily navigated by far cheaper means proved an optics nightmare for an administration already accused of being out of touch with regular Americans.

Price is the latest casualty in an administration that’s seen a high rate of dramatic departures over its first eight months. Since taking office, Trump has dismissed or seen quit his national security adviser, press secretary, communications director, chief strategist, acting attorney general and FBI director. The tumult has come as Trump struggles to fulfill key aspects of his agenda on Capitol Hill, and as his team confronts its most dire challenge yet on a storm-demolished Puerto Rico.

Trump was incensed that Price’s actions undermined his vow to “drain the swamp,” though Price is not the only Cabinet official to have used private air charters to travel around the country. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke have both flown on private planes during their tenures in the administration.

The White House said this week it was examining whether to adopt stricter oversight of Cabinet secretaries’ travel plans.

The first sign of Trump’s ire emerged on Wednesday, when he said only “we’ll see” after being asked if he was planning to fire Price. Neither Trump nor his top aides could say in the following days whether Price retained the President’s confidence.

“I was looking into it and I will look into it. I will tell you personally, I’m not happy about it,” Trump told reporters. “I am not happy about it I’m going to look at it. I let him know it.”

Price himself offered a rosier picture, telling CNN on Thursday evening that he “absolutely” planned to stay on as health secretary — a claim that was ultimately not meant to be.

Trump, who never grew as close to Price as he has to some of his aides, also viewed the health secretary as an ineffective promoter of Republican plans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, an effort that has failed multiple times over the course of Trump’s eight months in office.

During a rally with Boy Scouts in July, Trump quipped that if Price couldn’t wrangle the votes, he’d dismiss him.

“He better get them. Oh, he better,” Trump said. “Otherwise I’ll say, ‘Tom, you’re fired.’ ”

Price didn’t get the votes, but it was his use of private aircraft that ultimately led to his demise in the Trump administration.

Politico first reported Price’s use of charter jets for official business last week and found that the secretary has traveled on charter flights at least 24 times since May, citing people familiar with his travel plans and a review of HHS documents.

Charter plane operators estimated 24 flights would have cost $400,000, Politico reported. Commercial trips would have cost thousands of dollars less. The Health and Human Services inspector general is reviewing whether the means of travel was appropriate.

Later, it was revealed that Price also took US military aircraft on two trips abroad, bringing the total cost of his non-commercial travel to more than $1 million. The military flights were approved by the White House.

Price’s travel breaks with the precedent set by former President Barack Obama’s HHS secretaries Sylvia Mathews Burwell and Kathleen Sebelius, who flew commercially when flying within the US.

Price said in a statement on Thursday that would write a personal check to the US Treasury to cover the cost of his travel on private charter planes.

“The taxpayers won’t pay a dime for my seat on those planes,” he proclaimed, though it was later revealed he would only pay for his seat and not the total cost of chartering a plane.

An HHS spokesperson said the check would come to $51,887.31, a small percentage of the total cost of the private flights.

Price, both in his role as Trump’s health boss and as a Republican congressman from Georgia, was a frequent critic of government spending. He told CNN in April that he wanted to cut redundancy and waste in his agency.

“For us to say, ‘OK, let’s just throw more money at that system, let’s see if more money helps that out,’ is the wrong way,” Price told CNN’s Sanjay Gupta.

While at HHS, Price played an integral part helping craft many iterations of alternatives to Obamacare — all of which ultimately failed to pass. Price was also part of the executive opioid commission announced by Trump in March.

Prior to his role in the administration, Price was a Georgia representative for over 10 years, and was an orthopedic surgeon for 20 years. He was the third doctor to hold the HHS secretary position.</s>Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price offered his resignation earlier today and President Trump accepted.</s>Embattled Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price quit on Friday, the White House announced.

“Secretary of Health and Human Services Thomas Price offered his resignation earlier today and the President accepted,” spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said.

“The president intends to designate Don J. Wright of Virginia to serve as Acting Secretary. Wright currently serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health and Director of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.”

The development came after Price blew through more than $1 million of taxpayers’ cash for government and chartered private jets, President Trump said Friday.

“He’s a very fine man. I certainly don’t like the optics. I’m not happy, I can tell you that. I’m not happy,” President Trump told reporters shortly before Price submitted his resignation.

The president had said he would decide whether to can the former Georgia lawmaker later Friday — but Price saved him the trouble.

The White House approved the use of military aircraft for Price’s trips to Africa and Europe this spring, and to Asia in the summer, at a cost of more than $500,000 to taxpayers, Politico reported Friday.

The overseas trips bring the total cost to taxpayers of Price’s travels to more than $1 million since May, according to the website.

Trump had been telling pals that Price — a critic of government spending in Congress — has become a distraction, overshadowing his agenda and undermining his campaign promise to “drain the swamp” of corruption in Washington, sources told AP.

He’d also told people close to him that he believes Price’s run of bad headlines has stepped on the administration’s launch of its tax plan.

And he believes that Price didn’t do enough to sell the ill-fated GOP plan to “repeal and replace” the Obama health law.

Fighting to keep his job, Price said Thursday he’ll write a personal check to reimburse taxpayers for his travel on charter flights taken on government business. He pledged to fly commercial — “no exceptions.”

The repayment — $51,887.31, according to Price’s office — covers only the secretary’s seat. Price did not address the overall cost of the flights, which could amount to several hundred thousand dollars and is under investigation.

“I regret the concerns this has raised regarding the use of taxpayer dollars,” Price said in a statement. “I was not sensitive enough to my concern for the taxpayer.” His mea culpa came a day after a public rebuke from Trump.</s>WASHINGTON (WATE) – Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price has offered his resignation, which President Trump has accepted, according to a release from the White House.

Trump will name Don J. Wright of Virginia to serve as acting secretary. Wright is currently Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health and Director of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

Trump had said he would soon be making a decision on Price’s face, possibly as early as Friday. Price has been dogged by criticism over a pattern of booking costly charter flights for official travel. Trump called Price a “good man,” but said he wasn’t happy about the travel flap.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.</s>Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price has resigned amid mounting outcry over his use of private jets and military aircraft for government business, which was first reported by POLITICO last week.

"Secretary of Health and Human Services Thomas Price offered his resignation earlier today and the President accepted," the White House said in a statement.

Price, whose travel practices were condemned by President Donald Trump and is the subject of federal inquiries, had taken at least 26 charter flights since May to conduct official business in the United States, costing taxpayers more than $400,000. The White House had also approved his use of military aircraft for trips to Africa, Europe and Asia, which cost more than $500,000.

Price said on Thursday that he would no longer use private planes and will pay back the Treasury about $52,000 for the cost of his travel. But that ultimately wasn't good enough for Trump, who was incensed by Price's lavish spending of taxpayer dollars.

Price, who took the helm of HHS in February after representing Georgia in Congress for more than a decade, is Trump's first Cabinet secretary to step down. Several other Cabinet secretaries in recent weeks have come under scrutiny for using expensive non-commercial travel.

The White House said Trump plans to designate Don Wright, who currently serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health and Director of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, to serve as acting secretary.</s>WASHINGTON (AP) – Tom Price, a Lansing native, was the central figure in the scandal over cabinet members taking expensive private flights on the taxpayer’s dime when commercial flights were available.

Just yesterday he cut a $52,000 check to cover part of that cost.

He has just announced his resignation as the Health and Human Services Secretary.</s>Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price resigned on Friday over his private plane trips.

“Secretary of Health and Human Services Thomas Price offered his resignation earlier today and the President accepted,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement.

President Trump is considering firing Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price over his private plane trips, saying a decision will be made by Friday night.

“He’s a very fine man, but we’re going to make a decision sometime tonight,” the president told reporters before boarding Marine One at the White House on Friday afternoon, when asked if he’s going to fire Price.

Last week, it was revealed that Price flew on charters to visit community health centers in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. One leg was from Dulles International Airport in the Washington suburbs to Philadelphia International Airport, a distance of 135 miles.

Politico reported that he also took a government-funded private jet in August to St. Simons Island, a Georgia resort where his family owns land, ahead of an address at a medical conference.

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.

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 that “I will take no more private charter flights as Secretary of HHS. No exceptions.”

Speaking to reporters on Friday, the president referenced how officials with the Obama administration also used government planes.

“If you look at the Obama administration, and you take a look at the amount of time that they spent in the air, they spent a lot of time in the air,” Trump said.

According to statistics provided by a senior administration official, the Trump White House has authorized fewer trips on military planes for senior officials than the Obama administration did during the first eight months in office.

From Jan. 20 to Sept. 19, the Trump administration authorized 77 military flights, while the Obama administration allowed 94 flights during the same time period, according to the stats.

Fox News’ Samuel Chamberlain and The Associated Press contributed to this report.</s>related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.

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U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price resigned under pressure from President Donald Trump on Friday in an uproar over Price's use of private charter planes for government business.

WASHINGTON: U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price resigned under pressure from President Donald Trump on Friday in an uproar over Price's use of private charter planes for government business.

His abrupt departure was announced an hour after Trump told reporters he was disappointed in Price's use of expensive plane travel and did not like the optics of it.

"Secretary of Health and Human Services Thomas Price offered his resignation earlier today and the president accepted," the White House said in a statement.

Trump named Don Wright to serve as acting secretary. Wright is currently the deputy assistant secretary for health and director of the office of disease prevention and health promotion.

"I'm not happy. OK? I'm not happy," Trump told reporters on the White House South Lawn.

Trump, currently trying to sell his tax cut plan and oversee the federal response to devastation wreaked by three hurricanes, saw the Price drama as an unnecessary distraction and behind the scenes was telling aides "what was he thinking?," a source close to the president told Reuters.

Price promised on Thursday to repay the nearly US$52,000 cost of his seats on private charter flights. "The taxpayers won’t pay a dime for my seat on those planes," Price, a former congressman, said.

But that was not enough to satisfy Trump.

Trump told reporters that the "optics" of Price's travel were not good since, as president, he is spending a lot of time trying to renegotiate U.S. contracts to get a better deal for taxpayers.

"Look, I think he's a very fine person. I certainly don't like the optics," Trump said.

Price had also been seen in the White House as having been ineffective in getting Congress to pass healthcare reform legislation, an effort that has fizzled on Capitol Hill.

Price was one of a handful of senior officials in Trump’s administration put on the defensive over reports about their use of charter flights and government aircraft, sometimes for personal travel, when they could have flown commercial for less money.

The Washington Post on Friday reported that Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin attended a Wimbledon tennis match, toured Westminster Abbey and took a cruise on the Thames this summer during a 10-day trip to discuss veterans' health issues in Britain and Denmark.

Shulkin, who travelled on a commercial airline, was accompanied on the trip by his wife, whose airfare was paid for by the government and who received a per diem for meals, the Post said, noting that the Department of Veterans Affairs said she was travelling on "approved invitational orders."

His six-person travelling party included an acting undersecretary of health and her husband as well as two aides. They were accompanied by a security detail of as many as six people, the Post said.

The trip came less than two weeks after Shulkin signed a memo instructing top VA staff to determine whether employee travel in their organisation was essential, the Post said. His predecessor took no foreign work trips, the newspaper said, citing an anonymous former VA official.

Washington news media outlet Politico has reported that Price had taken at least two dozen private charter flights since May at a cost to U.S. taxpayers of more than US$400,000.

Politico in a report on Thursday night said the White House had approved the use of military aircraft for other trips by Price to Africa, Europe and Asia in the spring and summer that cost taxpayers more than US$500,000.

Senior U.S. government officials travel frequently, but are generally expected to keep costs down by taking commercial flights or the train when possible.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin have also been in the spotlight for their travel habits.</s>The US Health Secretary Tom Price has resigned from his position, in the first major resignation or firing from the Trump White House since Steve Bannon’s dramatic exit on 18 August of this year.

According to a statement from the White House press secretary,

“Secretary of Health and Human Services Thomas Price offered his resignation earlier today the President accepted. The president intends to designate Don J. Wright of Virginia to serve as Acting Secretary, effective at 11:59 p.m. on September 29, 2017. Mr. Wright currently serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health and [the] Director of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion”.

Prior to his appointment as Health Secretary, Price was a member of the US House of Representatives for the US state of Georgia.

Price’s time in the White House was marred by allegations of spending vast amounts of public money on travel.

“Price recently racked up at least $1 million in expenses — with the White House’s prior authorization — on jet trips around the US, to Asia, Africa, and Europe. In one case, Price took a $25,000 round trip from Washington to Philadelphia when a government employee could make the same flight for about $750 flying on a commercial airliner with tickets purchased by the government’s procurement arm, the General Services Administration (GSA)”.
Tom Price resigns as the Secretary of Health and Human Services in the midst of a scandal over his use of private planes.