"Secretary DeVos travels on personally-owned aircraft, accompanied by her security detail and whenever possible, additional support staff, at zero cost to U.S. taxpayers," said spokeswoman Liz Hill. | AP Photo DeVos travels the country on her private jet and foots the bill

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos flies on her private jet for official business and pays all her own travel expenses as well as the travel costs of the federal marshals who accompany her, the Education Department confirmed to POLITICO on Thursday.

"Secretary DeVos travels on personally-owned aircraft, accompanied by her security detail and whenever possible, additional support staff, at zero cost to U.S. taxpayers," said spokeswoman Liz Hill in an email.


"The secretary neither seeks, nor accepts, any reimbursement for her flights, nor for any additional official travel-related expenses, such as lodging and per diem, even though she is entitled to such reimbursement under government travel regulations," Hill said.

DeVos is also planning to donate her government salary to charity.

The statement comes after POLITICO reported this week that Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price has been flying on private jets for official business at a cost of tens of thousands of dollars more than commercial travel, breaking precedent with his predecessors.

DeVos, a billionaire, is married to Dick DeVos, whose father co-founded the Amway Corporation. Between February and August, the only travel cost racked up by the Education secretary was $184 for a train ticket, according to the Education Department.

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Arne Duncan and John B. King Jr., both Education secretaries during the Obama administration, typically flew coach, said former Education Department press secretary Dorie Nolt. They would only upgrade flights if they were affordable, she said. Duncan and King would travel light, with minimal staff, usually with one security person and a couple of staffers, she said.

Hill confirmed to POLITICO earlier this year that DeVos personally pays for all of her government travel, in addition to covering the travel costs for the U.S. marshals protecting her. But she declined to say whether DeVos flies privately, due to security reasons. The Associated Press first reported Thursday that DeVos flies on her own private jet for work.

DeVos' agency plans to renew an agreement with the U.S. marshals to continue her protective services, POLITICO reported last month. A spokesman for the U.S. marshals could not provide details when asked this month about the anticipated cost or length of the reimbursement agreement and could not discuss specifics about threats to DeVos’ safety.

The Education Department has already agreed to reimburse the U.S. Marshals Service an estimated total of $7.78 million for services spanning mid-February through Sept. 30, or the end of the fiscal year.

