Marco Rubio spent over $1.2m of taxpayer money traveling to son’s football games
Summary
A Washington Post investigation reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio made 23 trips to Gainesville on military aircraft, including trips to attend University of Florida football games, and estimated the flights cost taxpayers more than $1.2 million. Rubio said he would continue trying to attend important family events; the State Department said the flights supported continuity of operations.Key Facts
- The Post reported that Rubio attended at least 10 University of Florida football games over the past two seasons, including five this fall.
- Of 23 trips Rubio made to Gainesville on military aircraft, the Post classified 15 as personal.
- The Post estimated the cost of the flights at more than $1.2 million, using published Defense Department hourly rates for military aircraft.
- Rubio’s son Anthony is a University of Florida walk-on running back and, according to the article, has played in four competitive games in four years.
- Officials who travel on military aircraft must reimburse the government an amount equivalent to an economy-class ticket; Rubio and the State Department did not disclose how much he had repaid.
- An ethics counsel quoted by the Post said the travel raised questions about appearances and taxpayer spending, but described it as more of an optics issue than a violation.
- The Post reported that former Secretary of State Antony Blinken took personal trips on government aircraft only a couple of times a year.
- Rubio had previously asked for an investigation into former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s use of government jets; an inspector general cleared Buttigieg of wrongdoing.
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