WASHINGTON -- Tom Price, MD, the orthopedic surgeon from Georgia who rose to national prominence as a fiscally conservative congressman and was an early supporter of President Trump, resigned Friday from his position as Health and Human Services Secretary.
An ardent opponent of the Affordable Care Act and outspoken champion of physician autonomy, Price came under fire in recent days for his use of private charter jets as well as military aircraft for travel, sometimes to destinations as far flung as China, but also for trips as short as jaunts from Washington to Philadelphia.
Yesterday Price apologized for his travel decisions and said he would repay the government for his "seat" on charters, a sum that totaled just over $50,000, but fell well short of the tens of thousands in charter fees for jets with 20 or more seats. , which broke the private jet scandal, put the total cost for charters and military planes Price had used at more than $1 million. Earlier Friday, Trump was equivocal when asked if Price's job was in jeopardy.
During his brief tenure at HHS, Price moved rapidly to undo many Obama-era regulations and in his budget proposal suggested significant cuts to the CDC and NIH.
Price first became involved in politics in the Georgia Medical Association and for many years he was a Georgia delegate to the American Medical Association, a group that rewarded Price with support from its political action committee, AMPAC, and regular fundraising events at AMA meetings.
The White House said Trump plans to name Don J. Wright as Acting Secretary, effective at 11:59 p.m. Friday night. Wright currently serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health and Director of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.