• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'

2

Trump pulls back after Iran crosses his red line as U.S. military breaks two-week streak of airstrikes amid talks for potential Hormuz deal

3

'The demographic dividend of the last 40 years is ending': J.P. Morgan says the world is running out of the two things that kept interest rates down

1

The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'

2

Trump pulls back after Iran crosses his red line as U.S. military breaks two-week streak of airstrikes amid talks for potential Hormuz deal

3

'The demographic dividend of the last 40 years is ending': J.P. Morgan says the world is running out of the two things that kept interest rates down
Steve Mnuchin

Steve Mnuchin’s Travel on Military Planes Has Reportedly Cost Taxpayers $1 Million

By
Natasha Bach
Natasha Bach
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Natasha Bach
Natasha Bach
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 16, 2018, 6:47 AM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has reportedly racked up a nearly $1 million tab on taxpayer-funded trips since taking office.

According to Washington watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), Mnuchin has frequently opted for using military aircraft for his travel instead of taking commercial planes, which would come at a much lower cost to the taxpayer.

In a new report, CREW detailed findings obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. Between the spring and fall of 2017, Mnuchin reportedly took eight trips on military planes, totaling close to $1 million.

Existing law dictates that government aircrafts are to be used only for “official purposes,” and when there is “no commercial airline or aircraft…reasonably available,” reports CREW. The reports do not show that the trips in question received “White House Mission” designation, meaning they were made for official purposes. In addition, CREW contends that commercial planes were in fact “reasonably available” for several of these trips, and significantly less expensive.

The report goes on to allege that Mnuchin has “abused” his “easy access to military and other non-commercial aircraft for both business travel and what, upon closer inspection, appears to sometimes include personal travel.” Nevertheless, CREW conceded that several of Mnuchin’s predecessors had similarly used military aircraft for international travel. Where Mnuchin differed, however, was his apparent unwillingness to use commercial planes for domestic travel, the cost of which has totaled close to $200,000 to date.

A number of Trump administration officials have been scrutinized for their use of government funds in recent months. Ben Carson reportedly canceled a $31,000 furniture order earlier this month and Scott Pruitt reportedly spent $25,000 on a soundproof booth and publicly defended his first-class travel. Health Secretary Tom Price resigned in September after his costly travel was revealed.

Tony Sayegh, Treasury’s assistant secretary for public affairs, said in a statement that CREW’s report contains “falsehoods and mischaracterizations.”

“Even CREW concedes that the Secretary’s travel requests ‘bear a remarkable similarity’ to the requests submitted by secretaries in the Obama Administration, using the same approval process and level of justification. The documents CREW cites are the same documents that were examined by Treasury’s Inspector General in his review of Treasury’s travel, in which he identified no violation of law, regulation, or ethics requirements,” Sayegh said.

This story has been updated to reflect Sayegh’s statement.

About the Author
By Natasha Bach
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in

France deploys giant military cargo plane to dump tons of flame retardants as European wildfires displace more than 250,000
Environmentwildfires
France deploys giant military cargo plane to dump tons of flame retardants as European wildfires displace more than 250,000
By Mark Carlson, Emma Da Silva, John Leicester and The Associated PressJuly 25, 2026
5 hours ago
Intern arrested in Belgium on suspicion of spying inside NATO military headquarters and ‘being a member of a criminal organization’
CybersecurityNATO
Intern arrested in Belgium on suspicion of spying inside NATO military headquarters and ‘being a member of a criminal organization’
By Sam McNeil and The Associated PressJuly 25, 2026
5 hours ago
Let’s get ready to rumble: The next Fed meeting will be a ‘family feud’ — and that’s exactly what Chairman Kevin Warsh wants
EconomyFederal Reserve
Let’s get ready to rumble: The next Fed meeting will be a ‘family feud’ — and that’s exactly what Chairman Kevin Warsh wants
By Jason MaJuly 25, 2026
6 hours ago
The ‘Trump Trade’ is turning into a loser in the stock market
InvestingStock
The ‘Trump Trade’ is turning into a loser in the stock market
By Geoffrey Morgan, Joel Leon and BloombergJuly 25, 2026
8 hours ago
Samsung wins $200 billion order to supply chips to Broadcom
AIChips
Samsung wins $200 billion order to supply chips to Broadcom
By Hooyeon Kim and BloombergJuly 25, 2026
8 hours ago
SK chair says Anthropic asked for supplies to make its own chips
AIChips
SK chair says Anthropic asked for supplies to make its own chips
By Ian King and BloombergJuly 25, 2026
8 hours ago

Most Popular

The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
Real Estate
The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 25, 2026
17 hours ago
Trump pulls back after Iran crosses his red line as U.S. military breaks two-week streak of airstrikes amid talks for potential Hormuz deal
Middle East
Trump pulls back after Iran crosses his red line as U.S. military breaks two-week streak of airstrikes amid talks for potential Hormuz deal
By Jason MaJuly 25, 2026
9 hours ago
'The demographic dividend of the last 40 years is ending': J.P. Morgan says the world is running out of the two things that kept interest rates down
Economy
'The demographic dividend of the last 40 years is ending': J.P. Morgan says the world is running out of the two things that kept interest rates down
By Eleanor PringleJuly 24, 2026
2 days ago
Jensen Huang made his $172 billion fortune on AI chips. His family's $75 million gift to Vanderbilt argues art decides what technology is for
Big Tech
Jensen Huang made his $172 billion fortune on AI chips. His family's $75 million gift to Vanderbilt argues art decides what technology is for
By Sydney LakeJuly 23, 2026
3 days ago
An 11-year-old is cleaning his neighbors' trash cans for $10 each—he now has 100K followers as teens face the worst summer job market since 1948
Success
An 11-year-old is cleaning his neighbors' trash cans for $10 each—he now has 100K followers as teens face the worst summer job market since 1948
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJuly 25, 2026
19 hours ago
A Hims cofounder fired his entire marketing team for AI. Now his 24/7 online vet service is growing 20% a month
Success
A Hims cofounder fired his entire marketing team for AI. Now his 24/7 online vet service is growing 20% a month
By Sydney LakeJuly 25, 2026
15 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.