Former HHS secretary Tom Price’s air travel wasted $341,000 in government funds, watchdog says

Former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price repeatedly failed to follow federal requirements during his travels, wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars in government funds, according to the internal watchdog of the department he once led. The inspector general's report, released Friday morning, comes 10 months after Price, an orthopedic surgeon and former congressman from Georgia, resigned under pressure amid criticism for his extensive use of private jets while traveling on government business.

Around Town: Bill Shipp on the governor’s race, Democrats, Trump and the free press

Around Town paid a call on the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame member this week, finding him in good spirits, though concerned about such things as the future of the free press in this country and the leftward march of the Democratic Party.

Democrats’ newest midterm pitch: A crackdown on corruption

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., arrive to speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 22, 2018. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., arrive to speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 22, 2018.

Trump’s VA choice bows out in latest Cabinet flame-out

President Donald Trump's White House doctor reluctantly withdrew his nomination to be Veterans Affairs secretary Thursday in the face of accusations of misconduct, the latest embarrassing episode highlighting Trump's struggles to fill key jobs and the perils of his occasional spur-of-the-moment-decision-making. The weeks-long saga surrounding the nomination of Navy Dr. Ronny Jackson leaves the government's second-largest agency without a permanent leader while it faces an immediate crisis with its private health care program.

Black steps down as US House budget chair amid governor bid

U.S. Rep. Diane Black announced Wednesday that she is stepping down as House Budget Committee chairwoman, but will remain in Congress as she runs for governor of Tennessee. The Republican's decision follows passage of a wide-spanning tax reform law that she and her committee helped usher through the legislative process.

Black steps down as U.S. House budget chair amid governor bid – Wed, 27 Dec 2017 PST

U.S. Rep. Diane Black says she's stepping down as House Budget Committee chairwoman as she runs for governor of Tennessee. In an op-ed posted to the Fox News website Wednesday, the Republican said she'll continue to serve in Congress, but is leaving the budget post to focus more on the campaign.

Bikers for Trump rolls on into political sphere

A year after President Trump's historic upset victory, the grass-roots biker movement he inspired has become a bona fide political organization that is boosting Republican candidates across the country and making inroads in unexpected places, such as in Amish and Mennonite communities. That's right - Amish families are showing up in their horse-drawn buggies at Bikers for Trump rallies staged in barns in rural Pennsylvania and Ohio.

How Trump has weighed in, or not, on 2017 elections

Alabama state Republican Senator Luther Strange, left, walks to embrace President Donald Trump during the senator's rally at the Von Braun Civic Center September 22, 2017 in Huntsville, Ala. As Democrats celebrated sweeping victories in state and local races across the United States Tuesday, at least one Republican was immediately ready to evaluate what went wrong for the party on Election Day , a year after the GOP captured the White House and maintained control of both houses of Congress.

Trump readies opioid plan, but some worry it won’t be enough

President Donald Trump, escorted by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., arrives on Capitol Hill to have lunch with Senate Republicans and push for his tax reform agenda, in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2017. President Donald Trump waves to reporters after a lunch with Republican senator at the U.S. Capitol Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2017, in Washington.

Georgia lawmaker: Can people with HIV be ‘legally’ quarantined?

A Georgia state representative - who is also an anesthesiologist and the wife of the former federal Health and Human Services secretary - asked at a public hearing Tuesday about the legality of quarantining HIV patients to stop the spread of the virus that causes AIDS. "What are we legally able to do?" Dr. Betty Price, a Republican, asked Dr. Pascale Wortley, director of the HIV/AIDS Epidemiology Surveillance Section at the Georgia Department of Public Health.

Georgia Rep. Price says HIV comments taken out of context

Georgia Rep. Betty Price says her comments on people with HIV that ignited a national firestorm were "taken completely out of context." Price, the wife of former U.S. Health Secretary Tom Price, was in a legislative committee meeting Tuesday when she asked a state health official whether people with HIV could legally be quarantined.

Tom Price’s wife asks about ‘legally’ quarantining HIV patients

Tom Price's wife asks about 'legally' quarantining HIV patients The comments, made by former HHS Secretary Tom Price's wife, were rebuked by human rights and LGBTQ groups. Check out this story on USATODAY.com: https://usat.ly/2yxHHf4 Betty Price is pictured between Vice President Pence and her husband Tom Price as Tom Price gets sworn in as the Health and Human Services secretary earlier this year.

Weakening Medicaid From Within

Former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, an orthopedic surgeon from Georgia, has encouraged states to seek waivers that would undermine Medicaid's role as a safety net. rom its modest beginning in 1965, when it was passed as a little-noticed companion to Medicare, Medicaid has evolved into an indispensable public health program with broad bipartisan support.

Ethics report says NY lawmaker’s actions warrant review

Congressional investigators say there is a "substantial reason to believe" Republican Rep. Chris Collins of New York shared material, non-public information about a drug company he had a major financial stake in and took official actions to assist the company. The conclusions were included in an announcement Thursday from the House Ethics Committee that it was extending its review of the three-term congressman, an early and strong supporter of President Donald Trump.

Capitol Hill reacts to Tom Pricea s resignation as HHS secretary

Lawmakers voiced criticism and support after President Trump asked his embattled Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price to resign on Friday. Price faced sharp rebukes this week for repeatedly chartering private jets on trips that mixed government work with personal business.