WASHINGTON — Tom Price, the health and human services secretary, spent tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars to fly on private jets to attend routine public events instead of taking cheaper commercial airliners because he has an “incredibly demanding schedule,” his spokeswoman said Wednesday.

Mr. Price, a physician and former Republican congressman from Georgia, chartered five work-related flights last week alone. In all, the private flights cost the federal government as much as $60,000, according to a report by Politico, citing internal department documents.

The secretary has advocated cost-cutting at his agency while acting as a top Trump administration surrogate for urging the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. His predecessors often traveled by commercial flights or on trains, at a fraction of the cost.

Mr. Price’s travels included a flight to a Maine resort, for a health care conference, and a short day trip to the Philadelphia area that would typically cost under $500 by rail or commercial airliner.