Hargan named acting HHS secretary

On Tuesday, President Trump named Eric Hargan acting HHS secretary to fill the position vacated by Tom Price, who resigned late last month after probes revealed that he had spent over $400,000 of federal funds on charter flights (see BioCentury Extra, Sept. 29).

Hargan, who was confirmed as deputy secretary last week, served in HHS under the George W. Bush administration from 2003 to 2007, first as deputy general counsel, then chief of staff to the deputy secretary and acting deputy secretary. In 2014-15, he served as co-chair for Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner's state HHS transition committee, and in 2016-17 he served on President Trump's HHS transition team. Hargan received his law degree from Columbia Law School in 1993 and has worked as an attorney in private practices, most recently specializing in health law...