WASHINGTON - Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt defended his extensive use in recent months of a jet leased to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for emergency use.
Leavitt's explanation for his use of the jet occurred at a hearing Wednesday of the House Ways and Means Committee. Moments earlier, Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., had accused Leavitt of using the jet to "do public relations for the president" on the new drug benefit.
Leavitt, however, said he used the plane in an appropriate manner, and he thanked lawmakers for making it available. He said he simply could not have overseen the implementation of the new benefit, plus help prepare states for a potential flu pandemic, without the use of the plane.
"I'm deeply appreciative of the fact that Congress made this available for this kind of circumstance," Leavitt said.
Lewis cited an article in Wednesday's Atlanta Journal Constitution, which analyzed the Gulfstream III's flight log and found that the 14-seat aircraft has been used primarily by Leavitt to attend news conferences promoting the new Medicare prescription drug plan and meetings with state officials over their flu pandemic plans. The flights cost more than $700,000 since January, the newspaper reported.
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