Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price stepped down Friday, in the midst of a snowballing scandal over his repeated use of taxpayer funds for extravagant air travel while in office, including for trips that combined government and personal business.



"Secretary of Health and Human Services Thomas Price offered his resignation earlier today and the president accepted," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement late Friday afternoon. She added that Trump plans to designate Don J. Wright, the deputy assistant secretary for health and director of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, to serve as acting secretary effective Friday night.



Price, in his resignation letter to President Trump, said it was "an honor and privilege" to serve at HHS, specifically citing his work to "reform a broken health care system."

"I regret that the recent events have created a distraction from these important objectives," he wrote. He aded that he would "continue to support" Trump's priorities from outside the administration.

Price did not explicitly apologize for his use of private jets in an internal note to HHS staff obtained by BuzzFeed News. He said it had been "a great joy" to serve at the department, adding, "The honor of leading the incredible folks at HHS is one I shall always treasure and never forget."

"Please know I shall be thinking of you and encourage you to remember the people, patients, and partnerships we’re all privileged to serve," he concluded, signing the letter "Duty is Ours — Results are the Lord’s!"

After Price's resignation, the White House issued a memo to cabinet heads stating that chief of staff John Kelly must now approve nearly all travel on "government-owned, rented, leased, or chartered aircraft."

"[W]ith few exceptions, the commercial air system used by millions of Americans every day is appropriate, even for very senior officials," said Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget. "Therefore, all travel on Government-owned, rented, leased, or chartered aircraft, except space available travel and travel to meet mission requirements (as those situations are defined in Circular A-126) shall require prior approval from the White House Chief of Staff."

Price's resignation comes after Trump had signaled his displeasure with his health secretary for days.

Asked Wednesday whether he would consider firing Price, the president told reporters: "We'll see." In the days since, he has repeatedly told reporters that he was "not happy about" Price's use of private jets on taxpayers' dime.

Trump on Friday afternoon called his secretary a "very fine person," but said he did not like "the optics" around Price's travel and suggested his decision on Price's future was imminent. Trump told reporters that as of Friday afternoon, Price had not offered to resign.

Price spent more than $400,000 in federal money for official trips on private jets 26 times since early May, Politico has reported. Two of those trips were to areas where he owns real estate, and to visit family members and longtime colleagues, Politico also reported. Each private jet trip can cost taxpayers around $25,000.

HHS maintained that the trips were for business purposes and were because cheaper, commercial options were not available. Politico reported, however, that some of the flights occurred despite the availability of commercial options on a similar schedule.



Then on Thursday, Politico reported that the White House had approved the use of military aircraft for Price, accompanied by his wife, for official trips to Africa, Europe, and Asia at an estimated cost to taxpayers of more than $500,000.



That would bring Price's reported taxpayer-funded flight tab to roughly $1 million.