• Home
  • Mail
  • Flickr
  • Tumblr
  • News
  • Sports
  • Finance
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Answers
  • Groups
  • More
Yahoo
    • Skip to Navigation
    • Skip to Main Content
    • Skip to Related Content
    Lifestyle Home
    Follow Us
    • Style
    • Beauty
    • Wellness
    • Pop Culture
    • News
    • Horoscope
    • Video
    • Polyvore

    VA head changed records to hide travel boondoggle, report alleges

    Christopher Wilson
    Editor
    Yahoo NewsFebruary 14, 2018
    Reblog
    Share
    Tweet
    Share
    Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt (Photos: Alex Wong/Getty Images; Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

    President Trump’s executive branch chiefs came under renewed criticism this week over travel expenses billed to the government. In the most recent instance, the head of the Department of Veterans Affairs was accused of a cover-up that involved altering emails relating to a trip that cost taxpayers more than $120,000.

    Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin had his staff alter an email and made false statements to justify a 10-day European vacation with his wife last year, according to a report from VA Inspector General Michael J. Missal. According to the Washington Post, Shulkin also improperly accepted tickets to the Wimbledon tennis tournament worth thousands of dollars. Shulkin had his staff say that he was accepting an award on the trip to justify bringing his wife, which contributed to the total cost of $122,334.

    Shulkin called the portrayal of the trip “entirely inaccurate,” adding that it “reeks of an agenda.” This did not stop Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., from calling for Shulkin’s resignation.

    “It’s exactly corruption and abuses like this that doesn’t help our veterans,” wrote Coffman, who served in the Marines. “Secretary Shulkin must RESIGN now. President Trump ran on accountability, it starts here.”

    That news came just days after Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt was found to have taken a number of expensive flights, including a first-class flight between New York and Washington, D.C. and a $7,000 business-class trip to Milan. A Washington Post analysis found that travel expenses for Pruitt and his top aide just in the month of June 2017 topped $90,000.

    Pruitt and his team defended the travel as necessary due to unspecified threats and uncomfortable confrontations with other passengers when he flew coach. Criticizing a lack of “civility in the marketplace” and a “very toxic” political environment, the EPA head told a New Hampshire newspaper the expensive flights are necessary for safety. Pruitt drew criticism last year for requesting funding for a 24-hour security team and the construction of a $25,000 soundproof phone booth in his office in addition to spending tens of thousands of dollars on military and private flights.

    Only one official has resigned so far due to the criticism: former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, who stepped down in September. Price was pressured after a series of reports that he had taken private planes for short flights, including a brief trip from Washington, D.C., to Nashville, Tenn.,  to have lunch with his son. Price said he would pay back taxpayers a portion of the hundreds of thousands in expenses he accrued. Officials at both the Treasury and the Health and Human Services departments did not respond to inquiries about whether he had done so.

    Energy Secretary Rick Perry, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke have also had their travel expenses criticized and investigated since taking office last year. Following Price’s resignation, the White House issued a memo stating that “Government-owned, rented, leased, or chartered aircraft should not be used for travel by Government employees except with specific justification” in an attempt to curtail the travel spending.

    Reblog
    Share
    Tweet
    Share
    Polyvore

    What to Read Next

    • Paris Hilton on building her business empire: 'I wouldn't get this far in life being a dumb blonde'

      Yahoo Lifestyle
    • William and Kate's Body Language With Their Baby

      Good Housekeeping
    • Teen's racist promposal goes viral: 'If I was black I'd be picking cotton'

      Yahoo Lifestyle
    • People with allergies and asthma have a higher risk of psychiatric disorders

      Yahoo Lifestyle
    • Can Hillary Clinton Break the Internet?

      Vanity Fair
    • Thandie Newton: I Wasn't 'Hot' Enough To Join Time's Up Movement

      HuffPost
    • Royal baby: Internet goes wild over Prince William's joke as he leaves hospital with new son

      AOL.com
    • Who Is India Oxenberg? Shocking New Details To Know About Allison Mack's Personal Sex Slave

      YourTango
    • Florida Teen Apologizes For Racist Promposal Sign

      HuffPost
    • Twitter Erupts After Obama Makes Melania Trump Smile At Barbara Bush's Funeral

      HuffPost
    • PEOPLE Explains: 6 Notable Recent Developments in the House of Horrors Case

      People
    • Michelle Obama's Message To The New Royal Baby Is Oh So Cute

      HuffPost
    • Ariel Winter calls herself a 'spicy mami hot tamale' in saucy Instagram

      Lifestyle News
    • Chrissy Teigen Perfectly Nails Why The Royal Baby Watch Was So 'Weird'

      HuffPost
    • Richard Gere Married His Girlfriend Alejandra Silva in a Civil Wedding Ceremony

      the knot
    • Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux Dodged Each Other at Child’s Birthday Party

      The Cut

    What Does 'Breeding Concept' Mean? White House Won't Explain Trump's Tweet

    Roger: VOTE IN NOVEMBER !!!

    Join the Conversation
    1 / 5

    937

    • Pippa Middleton Steps Out Amid Pregnancy Rumors in Loose-Fitting Light Blue Coat

      InStyle
    • What Prince William Really Said to the Crowd

      Good Housekeeping
    • Selena Gomez Debuts New Shaved Hairdo -- See the Pics!

      Entertainment Tonight
    • French first lady Brigitte Macron makes glamorous arrival in Louis Vuitton in Washington D.C.

      AOL.com
    • Why Kate Middleton Left the Hospital So Quickly

      Country Living
    • Rebellious Teen Donald Trump Keeps Sneaking His Personal Cell Phone

      The Cut
    • Aly Raisman slams 'Dateline' coverage of gymnastics abuse scandal, saying show cut her accusation

      Yahoo Lifestyle
    • Kate Middleton's newborn son is the biggest royal baby to be born in over 100 years

      AOL.com
    • Differences Between Royal Baby Debut Photos

      Good Housekeeping
    • Why Eating Salmon Is So Damn Good For Your Skin

      HuffPost
    • Royal baby's striking resemblance to Prince George and Princess Charlotte

      Yahoo7 Be
    • Kate Middleton's perfect post-baby hair sparks debate about new mom expectations

      Yahoo Lifestyle
    • Why the Royal Baby's Name Won't Be Announced Today

      Good Housekeeping
    • Royal Baby: A Waving Princess Charlotte Steals the Show as She and Prince George Visit Their New Brother

      Vanity Fair
    • Ivana Trump Doesn't Know Many Men Who 'Can Keep Their Zippers Up'

      HuffPost
    • Melania Trump wore a giant white hat, and people have opinions

      Yahoo Lifestyle
    Polyvore