Hill Dems vow to probe Price's private flights

Democrats say they are planning to look into a report about Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price taking five work-related trips on private jets last week.

Politico on Tuesday reported that Price -- who has vowed to cut wasteful spending in his agency -- traveled to a resort in Maine where he was part of a discussion with a health care industry CEO, as well as community health centers in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. The flights cost tens of thousands of dollars more than had he flown commercial, according to the report.

"I would remind Secretary Price that taxpayer funds are not meant to be used as a jet-setting slush fund," Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr., the top Democrat on the House energy and commerce panel, said in a statement Wednesday. "There is no reason to be regularly chartering private flights at the taxpayers' expense between commercially serviced routes such Washington, D.C. to Philadelphia." He said Democrats plan to ask the HHS inspector general to review Price's travel.

Price's travel itinerary included private jets that charter operators estimated would cost at least $60,000, according to Politico.

His travel breaks with the precedent set by former President Barack Obama's HHS secretaries Sylvia Mathews Burwell and Kathleen Sebelius, who flew commercially when flying within the US.

Tom Price was actually against private jets before he was for them

Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, the ranking member on the Federal Spending Oversight and Emergency Management Subcommittee, wants to look into the report as well, according to an aide.

Price's office has not yet responded to CNN's request for comment. The agency declined to confirm details of the flight and who paid for them to Politico, only saying that Price travels on a private jet when commercial flights aren't feasible.

Politico found that there were commercial flights and trains available for Price's trips, including one to Philadelphia, which is only a 125-mile drive from HHS headquarters in downtown Washington to the center where Price spoke.

All three organizations that hosted Price last week told Politico they did not pay for his travel costs.

Price is a frequent critic of government spending. He told CNN in April that he wants to cut redundancy and waste in his agency.

"For us to say, 'OK, let's just throw more money at that system. Let's see if more money helps that out' is the wrong way," Price told CNN's Sanjay Gupta.

And in 2009, Price railed against congressional expenditures in the hundreds of millions of dollars for several private planes that would ferry members of Congress.

"This is just another example of fiscal irresponsibility run amok in Congress right now," Price said in a CNBC interview at the time.