The Energy Department spent an extra $51,000 on upgraded flights for Rick Perry

Rick Perry.
(Image credit: Money Sharma/AFP/Getty Images)

Energy Secretary Rick Perry, following in the first-class footsteps of fellow Cabinet member EPA head Scott Pruitt, took 12 premium-class flights during his first seven months in office, ABC News reports.

ABC News obtained travel logs showing Perry's trips, although the documents did not include the dates or destinations. The records show that coach fares were available for the 12 flights, but because Perry cited safety concerns, business or first class fares were approved. Those upgrades cost a total of $51,000, not including the base fare.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.