U.S Health and Human services secretary Tom Price resigned under pressure from Donald Trump on Friday in an uproar over Price's use of costly private charter planes for government business.
The White House said Tom Price offered his resignation and Trump accepted it.
The White House said Tom Price offered his resignation and Trump accepted it.
His abrupt departure was announced an hour after Trump told reporters he was disappointed in Price's use of private aircraft and did not like the way it reflected on his administration.
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.
Candidates to succeed Price included Seema Verma, who is an administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and who is close to Vice President Mike Pence, and Scott Gottlieb, a physician who serves as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, according to industry analysts.
Price's resignation leaves Trump with a second Cabinet position to fill. He has yet to pick a secretary for homeland security after hiring former Secretary John Kelly as his White House chief of staff.
It was the latest blow to the Trump White House, which has struggled to get major legislative achievements passed by Congress and has been embroiled in one controversy after another since Trump took office in January.
Price, a former congressman, was instrumental in the Trump administration's policies aimed at undercutting Obamacare, as well as working with governors across the country to slowly begin unravelling parts of the law.
In a resignation letter, Price offered little in the way of contrition. He said he had been working to reform the U.S. healthcare system and reduce regulatory burdens, among other goals.
Trump called Price a “very fine man” but said he did not like the “optics” of members of his cabinet – the wealthiest ever assembled – flying at great expense to taxpayers.
“I’m not happy, OK?” Trump said, before departing Washington to spend the weekend at his New Jersey golf club. “I can tell you, I’m not happy.”
In a copy of his resignation letter posted to Twitter, Price thanked Trump for the “opportunity to serve the American people”.
“I have spent 40 years both as a doctor and public servant putting people first,” he wrote. “I regret that the recent events have created a distraction from those important objectives.”
Here is the tweet by Tom Price after his resignation:
Here is the tweet by Tom Price after his resignation:
Thank you @POTUS for the opportunity to serve the American people alongside the dedicated folks of @HHSGov. It's been an honor & privilege. pic.twitter.com/nUBNsEDsPv— Tom Price, M.D. (@SecPriceMD) September 29, 2017
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 $400,000. Politico also reported he took approved military flights to Africa and Europe costing $500,000.
content source: www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics and www.theguardian.com/us-newsTags: Donald Trump, Tom Price, U.S, Health secretary, Tom Price private flight, Tom Price resigned, White House, America president, resignation letter, Don Wright health secretary
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