President Donald Trump’s official in charge of Medicare and Medicaid, Seema Verma, came under fire after Politico reported Saturday that she submitted a $47,000 claim for reimbursement on the taxpayers’ dime for stolen, uninsured items items.
The bulk of the claim—for which the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ultimately reimbursed her $2,852.40—was for roughly $43,000 worth of jewelry. Among the roughly two dozen pieces was an Ivanka Trump brand pendant whose estimated value was $5,900, according to documents obtained by Politico. A $325 claim for moisturizer was also among the items included.
The theft reportedly took place in July of 2018 in San Francisco when Verma’s luggage was stolen from a rented SUV as she delivered a speech in which she bashed Medicare for All and the Affordable Care Act.
An HHS spokesperson told Politico that submitting a claim while on work travel “is not an unusual practice for federal employees,” though items “inherently” for non-work uses would not be covered.
“Staff were unaware of a federal health employee previously filing a claim as large as $47,000,” the news outlet added.
The attempt at reimbursement for the apparent luxury items from an official who’s repeatedly attacked the key safety net programs drew condemnation from former head of the Office of Government Ethics Walter Shaub.
Click Here: Maori All Blacks Store
“Verma is worried about wasting government money on ‘unnecessary’ medical care for poor people, but she wants the government to reimburse her for $47,000 worth of jewels and clothes she took on a government trip,” Shaub tweeted Sunday.
SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
0 thoughts on “Trump Official Who Doesn't Want Poor People to Have Publicly-Funded Healthcare Wants Public to Pay for Stolen Ivanka Jewelry”