Rex Kickass Posted June 23, 2006 Share Posted June 23, 2006 http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=2085927 The juicy bits. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt was not one of those exceptions, until last year, when Congress authorized him to use the jet in certain situations. After the Hurricane Katrina disaster, Congress said Leavitt could use a private jet leased by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during "emergencies and in the days following such emergencies." The CDC uses the plane to move its people to medical emergencies. Leavitt was not supposed to use the jet for normal business travel, but according to Health and Human Services records, he used it to travel to 91 cities this year for meetings on health policy and to sell the administration's controversial Medicare drug prescription plan. Leasing the private jet costs $3 million a year. In the first five months of 2006 Leavitt's travels cost an additional $720,000 in hourly charges. ____ Twice this year, the CDC has needed the plane for medical emergencies, but Leavitt was using it. So the CDC had to hire another jet at additional expense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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