Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price has resigned amid an outcry over his controversial use of private jet travel.
President Trump has accepted the resignation and appointed Don Wright of Virginia to serve as acting secretary, effective at 11:59 p.m. Friday. Wright serves as the deputy assistant Secretary for Health and Director of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.
Price said in his resignation letter that he spent 40 years as a doctor and public servant “putting people first. I regret that the recent events have created a distraction from these important objectives,” adding that he would resign to allow Trump to “move forward without further disruption.”
Price stirred up public and congressional outrage by using close to $1 million in taxpayer money to pay for travel on private jets. Although the former Georgia congressman has apologized and pledged to reimburse the government for his share of the travel — which totals roughly $52,000 — Trump fumed this week about the bad headlinesPrice generated for the administration.
Trump told reporters that the $52,000 reimbursement wasn’t enough before the White House announced Price’s resignation.
“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,” Trump told reporters Friday afternoon as he traveled to Bedminster, N.J., for the weekend.
The move comes a little more than one month until the open enrollment of Obamacare on Nov. 1.
Price is the first Trump administration Cabinet member to resign.
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Tom Price resigns as Health and Human Services secretary after private jet outrage https://t.co/MGIDByP4SK pic.twitter.com/agggVLkm8J
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) September 29, 2017
BREAKING: Tom Price has resigned as secretary of Health and Human Services, the White House announced https://t.co/WoZMe0uKHn pic.twitter.com/26oGtda9ye
— CNN (@CNN) September 29, 2017
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