WASHINGTON – Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt’s trips seemed routine – visits to dozens of cities to launch the Medicare drug benefit and to help states plan for a potential pandemic. How he got there is creating controversy.

Mr. Leavitt was criticized yesterday for using a jet leased by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for emergencies. HHS estimated the cost of the flights at $720,000, and Democrats called it a waste of resources to do what Rep. John Lewis of Georgia called “public relations for the president.”

Mr. Leavitt said use of the jet on 19 separate trips helped him meet the “breathtaking challenge” posed by the two programs.

“The good news is we accomplished the task,” he said. “Otherwise, I don’t know that we could have.”

For example, Mr. Leavitt saved 43 hours by using the plane on an April 3-5 trip to six states, a spokeswoman, Christina Pearson, said. “In many cases, the only way to complete this pressing official business in an efficient, effective fashion under extraordinary circumstances was through use of leased aircraft,” she said.

Congress last year authorized Mr. Leavitt to use the jet. “The secretary has significant operational responsibilities in times of emergencies and in the days following such emergencies,” supporters of the authorization said in a statement at that time. They also said they expected the secretary and the CDC director to use their authority “in an economical and judicious manner.”

Mr. Leavitt appeared yesterday at a House Ways and Means hearing on the Medicare drug benefit. Mr. Lewis quickly raised the issue of Mr. Leavitt’s use of the jet. Mr. Lewis cited an article in yesterday’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution,which analyzed the 14-seat Gulfstream III’s flight log.

“I think this is unbelievable, irresponsible, and just dead wrong,” Mr. Lewis said.

The line of questioning by Mr. Lewis riled some of his Republican colleagues, who insisted that he was out of order. The Republicans jumped to Mr. Leavitt’s defense.

“It is important that our national spokesman get out there to where the people are,” Rep. Nancy Johnson, a Republican of Connecticut, said.

Rep. Clay Shaw, a Republican of Florida, said lawmakers use federal jets all the time when going on fact-finding missions, and he called the criticism hypocritical.

The line of questioning diverted attention from the high praise that Republican lawmakers were trying to heap on Mr. Leavitt for the implementation of the new drug benefit. Mr. Leavitt told the lawmakers that more than 38 million seniors and disabled now have drug coverage, in part, because of the benefit.

Mr. Leavitt told the lawmakers that the newspaper article was accurate. He said he tried to use commercial jets whenever possible, but that the challenge in overseeing the two programs was enormous.

Since January, Mr. Leavitt has taken the jet to visit more than 90 cities, Ms. Pearson said.

During the same period, CDC officials used the aircraft to respond to three emergencies and conduct three training exercises.