A top aide of US President Donald Trump and Health Secretary in his cabinet, Tom Price, has resigned after it emerged that he had used expensive private planes for official business.
Price had earlier apologised for undertaking 26 private flights since May costing the exchequer a whopping $400,000 (£300,000), reported BBC News.
Under the rules, only those government dealing with national security matters can use private planes for work related travel. Rest are required to use commercial flights for their journeys.
Along with Price, three other members of President Donald Trump’s cabinet too are being investigated for using private planes while on work.
A White House statement said that President Trump had accepted Price’s resignation, adding that Don J Wright had been designated as acting health secretary. Wright is currently deputy assistant secretary for health.
“Secretary of Health and Human Services Thomas Price offered his resignation earlier today and the president accepted,” the White House said in a statement.
Trump has expressed his displeasure publicly while commenting on the issue. “I’m not happy. OK? I’m not happy,” Trump told reporters on the White House South Lawn.
A Reuters report said that the resignation leaves Trump with a second Cabinet position to fill. He has yet to pick a secretary for homeland security after hiring former Secretary John Kelly as his White House chief of staff.
Price said he regretted that “recent events have created a distraction” from the work of the health department. Meanwhile, a political news website Politico claimed that Price’s travels had cost more than $1m.
As well as the $400,000 for private flights, that figure includes the cost of military aircraft used for Price’s trips abroad, Politico added.