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U.S. Heath and Human Services Secretary Tom Price attends a listening session regarding the opioid crisis hosted by First Lady Melanie Trump in the State Dining Room of the White House, September 28, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Trump's Private Jet-Loving Health Secretary Tom Price Resigns

Price was increasingly under fire after it was revealed that he had spent boatloads of taxpayer cash to fly private

Jake Johnson

Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price resigned Friday amid a growing scandal involving his use of expensive private jets to travel throughout the U.S.—all on the taxpayer dime.

"Trump has repeatedly used the presidency for profit and it is no surprise that members of his cabinet are following his lead and taking advantage of their positions."
—Ben Schreiber, Friends of the EarthPrice apologized for his excessive and costly flying habits and promised to reimburse taxpayers on Thursday, but his remorse appears to have been too little, too late.

Politico reported that Price had "taken at least 24 flights on private charter planes at taxpayers' expense since early May," with costs exceeding over $300,000.

Price was also on the hot seat with President Donald Trump after the GOP's Obamacare repeal attempt failed in the Senate. Trump had in the past threatened to fire Price if Obamacare was not repealed.

In a statement on Friday, Ben Schreiber, senior political strategist at Friends of the Earth, said that while Trump was right to accept Price's resignation, corruption in the White House ultimately stems from the president himself.

"Trump's corrupt cabinet begins at the top," Schreiber concluded. "Trump has repeatedly used the presidency for profit and it is no surprise that members of his cabinet are following his lead and taking advantage of their positions."

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