--- title: Steven Mnuchin's Use of Planes Cist $800,000 and Was Legal description: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin was not breaking any laws when he used government aircraft. canonical: https://time.com/4972024/steven-mnuchin-planes-trump-cabinet/ author: Nash Jenkins article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-10-06T13:28:58.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:06:10.358Z article:section: Politics og:title: Steven Mnuchin's $800,000 Government Flights Were Completely Legal og:description: The total cost of these trips came out to more than $800,000 og:url: https://time.com/4972024/steven-mnuchin-planes-trump-cabinet/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb7b72057a979cd8a/6988e0d497cdff426f6b2b9e/gettyimages-856745526.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 6124 og:image:height: 3445 og:image:alt: US-CRIME-SHOOTING-TRUMP og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Steven Mnuchin's $800,000 Government Flights Were Completely Legal twitter:description: The total cost of these trips came out to more than $800,000 twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb7b72057a979cd8a/6988e0d497cdff426f6b2b9e/gettyimages-856745526.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Steven Mnuchin's $800,000 Government Flights Were Completely Legal > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Tom Price Resigns After Private Plane Controversy [Watch (HLS stream): Tom Price Resigns After Private Plane Controversy](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/zSj4Ouyi.m3u8) (1:13)  _Published 2017-09-28. President Donald Trump's health secretary has resigned, after his travel on costly flights triggered investigations and angered his boss._ by [Nash Jenkins](https://time.com/author/p-nash-jenkins/) ## Nash Jenkins Oct 6, 2017 1:28 PM UTC  US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin arrives to take part in a moment of silence for the victims of the Las Vegas shootings, on the South Lawn of the White House on October 2, 2017 in Washington, DC. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin arrives to take part in a moment of silence for the victims of the Las Vegas shootings, on the South Lawn of the White House on October 2, 2017 in Washington, DC. Mandel Ngan—AFP/Getty Images by [Nash Jenkins](https://time.com/author/p-nash-jenkins/) ## Nash Jenkins Oct 6, 2017 1:28 PM UTC Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin was not breaking any laws when [he used government aircraft](http://time.com/4915080/watchdog-steven-mnuchin-louise-linton-trip-eclipse/), according to a report that follows an inquiry by his own [department](http://www.politico.com/f/?id=0000015e-ee60-dfe3-abfe-ffe93fab0000). Since he took the top job at the Department of the Treasury in February, Mnuchin has made nine requests to use government planes, and eight were approved; the other — for [his and his wife’s honeymoon](http://time.com/money/4941330/steven-mnuchin-louise-linton-honeymoon/) to the U.K., France, and Italy in August — was withdrawn. The total cost of these trips came out to more than $800,000. “I see no violation of law in these requests and uses,” Rich Delmar, counsel for the Office of Inspector General for Treasury, concluded in the 21-page report, but suggested that “more rigor will be required in future requests,” and that the Treasury Department’s watchdog “advise that future requests be ready to justify government air in greater detail, especially regarding cost comparisons and needs for security and other special factors.” Scrutiny over Mnuchin’s travel is only the latest instance of potential controversy surrounding how the members of Trump’s cabinet choose to fly. Last Friday, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price [resigned](http://time.com/4963637/tom-price-health-secretary-donald-trump-private-jet/) after it was reported that he spent more than $1 million on private planes that ferried him as far away as Vietnam and China. (Price’s [apology](http://time.com/4961890/tom-price-apologizes-charter-plane-private-jet/) and offer to reimburse part of the cost of the trips did not rectify the situation.) Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and EPA chief Scott Pruitt remain subject to similar scrutiny. ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] Firstly, I'm not happy about it. I am not happy about it. Are you gong to fire him? I'm gonna look at it. I'm not happy about it, and I let him know it. 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