Zinke used private, military planes for travel: report

Interior Secretary Ryan ZinkeRyan Keith ZinkeInterior Dept recommends reducing Bears Ears, other protected land: report Give tribes real authority in Bears Ears National Monument Trump moving toward energy exploration in Arctic wildlife refuge: report MORE and his aides have taken multiple flights on private or military planes, including a $12,000 charter flight, according to Politico.

Zinke reportedly used the aircraft to go to events in his home state of Montana and to the Caribbean.

The Interior secretary and his staffers used a charter plane that cost $12,375 to fly from Las Vegas to Glacier Park International Airport in Montana in June. 

The department also chartered two flights for Zinke and his staff from St. Croix to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands to attend an event with the Danish government. 

In addition to using charter flights, Zinke used a military plane to travel to Norway with his wife earlier this year, from which they flew to Alaska to attend events for the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. 

Zinke also used a military plane to survey wildfires in Montana last month, alongside Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny PerdueGeorge (Sonny) Ervin PerduePut people ahead of profits in poultry Overnight Regulation: Supreme Court temporarily lifts restrictions on travel ban | WH to consider new rules after Equifax breach | Google appeals record EU fine Food assistance available for Texans after Hurricane Harvey, USDA says MORE. 

The two agencies said they plan to reimburse the Air Force, according to a USDA spokesperson. 

Interior Department spokeswoman Heather Swift told Politico that Zinke’s other flights were booked after the department was unable to find commercial flights corresponding with the secretary’s schedule and that they were all pre-cleared by ethics officials in the department. 

The report comes amid increasing scrutiny of various travel on the part of several Cabinet officials, including those using taxpayer funds for non-commercial flights. 

It was revealed that Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott PruittEdward (Scott) Scott PruittOvernight Energy: Trump adviser affirms intent to leave Paris deal | Officials report leaks at Superfund site after Harvey | Hurricane Maria now a major storm Overnight Regulation: Trump adviser affirms plans to leave climate deal | FDA to study new cigarette warning labels | DOJ investigating Equifax stock sales Officials report potential spills at Texas Superfund site after Harvey: report MORE as well as Health and Human Services Secretary Tom PriceThomas (Tom) Edmunds PriceWork requirements exactly what Ohio needs to roll back the ObamaCare disaster Price says working toward declaring opioid crisis national emergency Declare a true state of emergency MORE all used non-commercial travel at some point during their tenure in the Trump administration. 

Price said Thursday that he would reimburse taxpayers more than $50,000, a portion of the cost of the more than $400,000 spent on the HHS chief’s private flights.

Swift said she could not to confirm to Politico whether Zinke would reimburse the government for the cost of his travel.