U.S. Rep Tom Price will likely have to answer many questions about his financial dealings during a tentatively scheduled confirmation hearing where senators, at least, Democrats, are likely to grill him on his stock trading.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee scheduled a hearing for the HHS secretary nominee for Jan. 18.
The powerful Republican orthopedic surgeon from Georgia has come under recent scrutiny for allegedly trading more than $300,000 in shares of about 40 health-related companies in the past four years while debating legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives that would affect those companies.
Price has served as chairman of the House Budget Committee and was also on the Health Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee.
Senate Democrats last week urged the Office of Congressional Ethics to investigate Price's financial dealings.
The Senate Finance Committee is also expected to hold a hearing on Price's confirmation.
Democrats have strongly opposed Price's nomination because of his support for repealing the Affordable Care Act and for privatizing Medicare. Several industry groups have come out in support of Price's nomination, but many doctors have independently opposed his nomination.
The Trump transition team was quick to defend accusations against the nominee.
“Hypocrisy is apparently alive and well this morning in Washington,” Trump transition spokesman Phil Blando said in a statement, adding that the same questions should be asked of Sens. Tom Carper (D-Del.), Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), “who own and have traded hundreds of thousands of dollars in pharmaceutical and health insurance company stocks.”