re: Swamp Alert: White House approved $500K for Tom Price's military jet travel

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Price pledged on Thursday to reimburse the government for the cost of his own seat on his domestic trips using private aircraft — reportedly around $52,000 — but that would not include the cost of the military flights.

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That's about 5% of his total travel costs of >$1 million. He basically reimbursed the government for cost of one seat on his domestic flights, but didn't offer to reimburse them for chartering the Gulfstream for a week at of international travel or other charters. That'll be on us, I guess.

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Are cabinet members supposed to fly commercial?

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This doesn't seem like a huge story, but I don't know why they shouldn't, for the most part.

Those are fair questions. It sounds like it varies depending on what cabinet position it is.

Politico reported this:

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The White House assesses the use of military aircraft for overseas travel by Cabinet members on a case-by-case basis. Secretaries whose jobs involve national security functions are more likely to require military jets, but the White House occasionally approves the use of military planes for other members of the Cabinet.

“Use of military aircraft for Cabinet and other essential travelers is sometimes an appropriate and necessary use of resources,” said Raj Shah, White House principal deputy press secretary.

But one of Price’s recent predecessors, Kathleen Sebelius, who served for five years under President Barack Obama, said she never took a military plane on her many trips overseas; she always flew commercially. Sylvia Mathews Burwell, who served as HHS secretary for the final 2½ years of the Obama administration, used a military jet for travel to Havana, Cuba, according to former HHS aides.

It is not clear whether Burwell, who did not respond to requests for comment, used military planes on other trips overseas. Two former aides said her husband accompanied her on the trip to Cuba and reimbursed the government for the costs of the trip.

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He announced this morning he's repaying the money and putting a temporary travel ban into place for himself and staff.

This is on the heels of Trump criticizing these expenses.

Yes, that's called draining the swamp.

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Trump really is the tough law and order president. I hear his next move will be to tell all bank robbers that he doesn’t like what they’re doing at all, and that their punishment if caught will be to return the money and promise not to rob any more banks.

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Are cabinet members supposed to fly commercial?

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Even Price has flown commercial for business at least sometimes as secretary. The idea that they can’t or that it’s not safe for them is laughable.

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The idea that they can’t or that it’s not safe for them is laughable

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Well, jackass, i never said it was unsafe. You are wound too tight.