The Health and Human Services Department flouted federal regulations when it let former secretary Tom Price use chartered planes instead of looking for cheaper options,…
The Health and Human Services Department flouted federal regulations when it let former secretary Tom Price use chartered planes instead of looking for cheaper options, squandering $341,000 in federal funds, an agency watchdog reported Friday.
The HHS inspector general reviewed 21 trips taken by Mr. Price, who was forced out in September after several months on the job. The agency followed all the rules in only one instance, it said.
Most notably, HHS failed to compare the cost of a dozen chartered plane trips to commercial alternatives, and it did not properly authorize the use of exclusive travel.
Mr. Price, a former congressman, flew around the country during his short tenure to trump efforts to reverse the opioid epidemic and highlight issues like obesity and mental health.
Besides chartered planes, he used the military and presidential fleets or commercial airlines for nine trips.
Yet a series of Politico reports about his chartered travel raised eyebrows, ultimately leading to the secretary resignation and decision to reimburse taxpayers nearly $60,000 for the price of his seat and, in some cases, a seat his wife used.
The inspector general said it reviewed contracts with two vendors totaling about $480,000 for Mr. Price ’s 12 trips on chartered planes.
In each case, HHS couldn’t prove that it compared chartered trips to commercial flights, even though it is supposed to find the options most advantageous to the government and taxpayers.
A big part of the problem, the IG report said, is that Mr. Price ’s scheduling team would select events before figuring out how he’d get there.
“Without making the mode of transportation a primary consideration during the scheduling process, the team limited the available transportation options that were most advantageous to the government and that would enable former Secretary Price to arrive at scheduled events on time,” the report said.
Investigators said in some cases, chartered flights were authorized during or after the trip, instead of ahead of time, and three trips either started or ended in his home state of Georgia, rather than an official post, resulting in unnecessary costs.
The IG report says the agency should find a way to recoup $333,000 related to the authorization and use of chartered aircraft, nearly $5,000 related to travel that started or ended in places other than Mr. Price ’s duty station and nearly $3,000 in other excess travel costs.
In a statement, Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan said the agency has tightened up its procedures but insisted that Mr. Price ’s trips were not illegal.
“The department understands the auditor’s concern that the processes and record keeping regarding travel could have been more comprehensive, and, since the period examined by the audit, HHS has instituted new travel review procedures applicable to all political appointees,” he said. “It must be noted, though, that the work of an audit is to review compliance with procedures, not make legal conclusions. As a matter of law, none of the travel at issue was unauthorized.”
