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American politician (born 1954)

Thomas Edmunds Price (born October 8, 1954) is an American physician and Republican Party politician who served as the U. S. representative for , encompassing the northern suburbs of Atlanta, from 2005 to 2017. While in Congress, Price chaired the House Committee on the Budget, Republican Study Committee and Republican Policy Committee. He was appointed Secretary of Health and Human Services by President Donald Trump and served in that role from February to September 2017. On September 29, 2017, he resigned as head of HHS following criticism of using government money to pay for private jet travel.

Price was born in Lansing, Michigan, and grew up in Dearborn, where he attended Adams Jr. High and Dearborn High School. Price's father and grandfather were both doctors. As a child, Price occasionally accompanied his grandfather on house calls in Toledo, Ohio. Until Price was the age of six, his father worked a dairy farm in Fowlerville, Michigan. Price received his B. A. (1975) and M. D. (1979) degrees from the University of Michigan. He entered private practice in 1984 and returned to Emory as an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery in 2002. He was the director of the orthopedic clinic at Atlanta's Grady Memorial Hospital, where he met his wife Betty, who worked there as anesthesiologist. Price was a member of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS), a politically conservative group founded in 1943 to "fight socialized medicine" and known to promote a range of scientifically discredited claims. The AAPS opposes Medicare and mandatory vaccination. Price is also a member of the American Medical Association. Before entering the state senate, Price was politically active as a member of the Republican Party and traveled with the Medical Association of Georgia in the early 1990s to oppose the Clinton health care plan of 1993. In a 1998 rematch, he won re election to a second term by defeating Milholland by a margin of 75–25%. In 2000 and 2002, he won re election to a third and fourth term unopposed. Price has cited discontent with government regulations of the health care industry as his primary reason for becoming involved in politics.

During his tenure as a state senator, Price served on the committees for Appropriations, Economic Development and Tourism, Education, Ethics, Health and Human Services, Insurance and Labor, Reapportionment and Redistricting, and Rules.

Price was elected minority whip of the Georgia state senate on November 6, 1998. He held this position until November 14, 2002, when Republicans took control of the state senate, and Price was elected majority leader – the first Republican to ever hold this position in Georgia. He was replaced as majority leader by Bill Stephens on June 17, 2003.

Price was chosen to serve as chair of the Republican Study Committee in November 2008, upon being elected to his third term in Congress. Two years later, he was chosen to serve as chair of the House Republican Policy Committee, which made him the "fifth highest ranking Republican in the House". Price was also chosen in 2010 to serve on the Ways and Means Committee and on the Budget Committee. In December 2012, he was named vice chair of the Budget Committee, serving under Paul Ryan, and in November 2014, Price succeeded Ryan as the committee's chair. In 2012, Price sought the position of House Republican Conference chair, which would have made him the fourth highest ranking Republican in the House. He was endorsed by Ryan, as well as by the Tea Party affiliated organization FreedomWorks, conservative political commentator Erick Erickson, future vice president and then governor of Indiana Mike Pence, and outgoing Republican Conference Chairman Jeb Hensarling. Ryan said of Price, "He was instrumental in drafting our House Republican budget. His vocal leadership on issues like health care, tax reform, and fiscal matters has been vital to our messaging and policy efforts. No one will work harder than Congressman Price at building a strong and compelling communications and policy strategy that reflects the will of our membership and the needs of the nation." He lost the election to McMorris Rodgers in November. That same year, Price was considered as a possible primary challenger for Republican senator Saxby Chambliss, and in 2014, Price was considered as a possible replacement for Eric Cantor as the House Majority Leader, but Price ultimately decided against pursuing either of these positions. In 2013, the American Conservative Union named Price one of the most conservative members of Congress, giving him a 100% approval rating. Price was also described as one of the most conservative members of Congress by the Atlanta Journal Constitution and the New York Times.

In 2011, Price voted to reduce non security discretionary spending to 2008 levels (and subsequently voted against several amendments offered via motions to recommit with instructions). In 2013, he was the main sponsor of the Require a PLAN Act (mandating that the President identify a fiscal year in which the budget will be balanced). He voted for the No Budget, No Pay Act and a resolution establishing a budget for the United States Government for FY 2014 that passed the House of Representatives. In 2011, Price voted to prohibit federal funding of National Public Radio. Price voted to terminate the Emergency Mortgage Relief Program. Price voted to reduce federal spending and the deficit by terminating taxpayer financing of presidential election campaigns and party conventions.

Price rejects the scientific consensus on climate change. In 2008, he signed a pledge sponsored by Americans for Prosperity promising to vote against any global warming legislation that would raise taxes. In 2010, while speaking out against proposed regulations of carbon dioxide, Price said that the science behind global warming was filled with "errors and obfuscation". In 2006, Price voted against the Deep Ocean Energy Resources Act a bill which maintained the moratorium on most offshore oil and gas drilling in the United States. Although the moratorium was lifted two years later, it was reinstated under President Barack Obama, prompting Price to vote in favor of the Reversing Pres. Obama's Offshore Moratorium Act in 2011. In 2007, Price voted against the No Oil and Exporting Cartels (NOPEC) Act, which would have removed sovereign immunity protections for OPEC, allowing the organization's members to be sued in the U. S. court system. That same year, Price voted against the Creating Long Term Energy Alternatives for the Nation (CLEAN) Act, which would have eliminated tax breaks and subsidies for oil and gas companies the newly raised funds would have then been used to support the development of alternative energy sources. Price also voted against providing funding for domestically produced biofuels, and on multiple occasions, he voted against providing tax incentives for renewable energy. In 2009, Price voted against the American Clean Energy and Security Act, In 2011, Price voted for the Energy Tax Prevention Act, which would have prevented the Environmental Protection Agency from implementing such regulations. which would have prevented the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating the amount of dust produced through various commercial operations, and the Superfund Common Sense Act, which would have removed manure from the federal government's list of hazardous or pollutant substances. He also voted for the Agricultural Disaster Assistance Act of 2012, which had it become law, would have made financial assistance available to ranchers who had lost livestock due to drought. The cost of the assistance would have been offset by cuts to programs intended to prevent future droughts. The American Farm Bureau Federation gave Price a score of 82% in 2005–2006, 23% in 2007–2008, 66% in 2009–2010, 70% in 2011, and 25% in 2014. Price consistently received 0% approval ratings from the National Farmers Union, during his time in Congress, except for when he received a score of 11% in 2012. The League of Conservation Voters gave Price a lifetime score of 4%.

Price voted to extend the Patriot Act. Price voted against a resolution which would have forced the president to withdraw American forces from Iraq. In 2015, Price stated his belief that states should not have to participate in refugee resettlement programs. During Price's first year in Congress, he voted for the United Nations Reform Act of 2005, which would have withdrawn up to one half of US funding for the United Nations, unless various reforms were met. In 2011, Price voted for the United Nations Transparency, Accountability, and Reform Act, which would have limited the kind of funding allowed to be contributed to the United Nations.

Price opposed gun control. Throughout his congressional career, he consistently received high ratings from the NRA Political Victory Fund, as well as from the Gun Owners of America, while consistently receiving scores of 0 from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. In 2005, Price voted for the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which protects firearms manufacturers and dealers from facing legal consequences, when crimes are committed with the use of their products. In 2007, Price co sponsored the D. C. Personal Protection Act, Although the bill failed to become law, the 2008 Supreme Court decision District of Columbia v. Heller found that the absolute prohibition of handguns in D. C. was unconstitutional. Price praised this decision, as well as the Supreme Court decision reached two years later in McDonald v. City of Chicago, which stated that the Second Amendment applies to the states. In 2009, Price supported the National Right to Carry Reciprocity Act, which would have made concealed carry permits issued by any state valid nationwide. In 2009, Price voted for the Birthright Citizenship Act, which would have revised the U. S. Constitution's 14th Amendment to prevent children born to illegal immigrants in the country from attaining birthright citizenship.

In 2006, Price voted for the Marriage Protection Amendment, which would have defined marriage as being between a man and a woman. He was one of the proposed amendment's co sponsors, when it was reintroduced in 2008. In 2015, he co sponsored the First Amendment Defense Act, which would have prevented the federal government from penalizing businesses that deny services to same sex couples. In 2009, Price opposed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which extended the scope of federal hate crime laws to include crimes in which individuals are targeted due to their sexual orientation, gender, or gender identity. Price also voted against the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010 and the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013, which extended the original bill's protections to cover same sex couples. Price consistently received scores of zero from the Human Rights Campaign (a gay rights organization) throughout his congressional career, except for between 2007 and 2010, when he received 10% approval ratings.

Price is the sponsor of the Empowering Patients First Act (EPFA), which he first introduced in the 111th Congress and has reintroduced in each Congress since then. Originally intended to be a Republican alternative to Democratic efforts to reform the health care system, it has since been positioned by Price and other Republicans as a potential replacement for the ACA. The bill, among other things, creates and expands tax credits for purchasing health insurance, allows for some interstate health insurance markets, and reforms medical malpractice lawsuits. Price introduced the Pro Growth Budgeting Act of 2013 on May 8, 2013. The bill would require the Congressional Budget Office to provide a macroeconomic impact analysis for bills that are estimated to have a large budgetary effect. Price said it was necessary because of the Congressional Budget Office's current method of reviewing bills just to see what they would cost. Price said, "that is a model that has proven to be incapable of providing the type of macroeconomic diagnosis folks need to make sure we are pursuing policies that will help generate economic opportunity and bring down the nation's debt." H. R. 1874 has passed the House but has yet to become law.

On September 29, 2017, the White House announced that Price had resigned. Price, with a tenure of 231 days, became the shortest serving Secretary of Health and Human Services in history. On July 13, 2018, the inspector general of HHS issued a report finding that Price had repeatedly violated government travel rules and had wasted at least $341,000 through his use of chartered jets and military aircraft. The report recommended that the government attempt to recoup the money improperly spent on Price's travels.

In 2015–2016, according to congressional financial disclosures, Price purchased shares totaling between $60,000 and $110,000 in value in Innate Immunotherapeutics, an Australian biotech company. Innate had no approved drugs and just one multiple sclerosis drug in trial. Price participated in a private placement of more shares in August 2016, paying $.25 and $.34 per share. Price invested between $50,000 and $100,000. On January 13, 2017, the shares were valued at $1.31, giving Price an unrealized gain of 300%–400% in a 6 month period. Price announced plans to sell several health care investments, including Innate, upon his confirmation as HHS Secretary. On January 16, 2017, CNN reported that Price had purchased shares in Zimmer Biomet, a medical devices company. Less than a week after the stock purchase, Price introduced legislation, the HIP Act, that would delay a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regulation until 2018. Industry analysts had warned that those regulations would significantly hurt the company's finances. Following the introduction of the HIP Act, Zimmer Biomet's political action committee donated to Price's reelection campaign. When questioned about his financial dealings during his confirmation hearing before the U. S. Senate on January 18, 2017, Price said, "[e]verything that we have done has been above board, transparent, ethical, and legal." In March 2017, ProPublica reported that U. S. Attorney Preet Bharara had been investigating Price's stock trades before Bharara's dismissal from his post by Donald Trump. Price said that he had not received any indication of a federal investigation into his stock trades.

Price and his wife, Betty, reside in Roswell, and have one child, Robert Price. Betty served on the Roswell City Council and was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in a 2015 special election to succeed the late Harry Geisinger. Price is a Presbyterian. In 2014, Price had a net worth of approximately $13.6 million.