House Speaker Paul Ryan asked the White House Chief of Staff John Kelly last week to reconsider ousting HHS Secretary Tom Price, MD, according to Politico.
On a phone call moments before the HHS secretary's resignation was announced, Mr. Ryan urged Mr. Kelly to reconsider the decision, touting Dr. Price's experience in Congress and the administration.
However, the call quickly ended after Mr. Kelly made it clear that the decision was final.
Dr. Price resigned Sept. 29 amid growing criticism for his frequent use of taxpayer-funded charter flights for travel. Although the scandal was his direct ouster, the former HHS secretary had slowly lost respect from President Donald Trump for not regularly attending meetings, according to the report.
Upon his resignation, Mr. Ryan released a statement calling Dr. Price "a superb health secretary" and "a good man."