Marco Rubio spent more than $1.2 million on taxpayer-funded flights to watch son play college football despite only making four appearances in four years, report claims

A Washington Post investigation found that Rubio took 23 military aircraft trips to Florida, with 15 personal trips costing taxpayers more than $1.2 million. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has come under scrutiny after he allegedly used military aircraft to make frequent trips to Florida to watch his son play college football, with an investigation estimating the flights alone cost taxpayers more than $1.2 million. The findings raised questions about how often senior government officials should use publicly funded transport for personal engagements, even though their security measures require them to fly on military aircraft.

A Washington Post investigation details Rubio’s trips to Florida

Investigation by The Washington Post found that Rubio has attended at least 10 University of Florida football games over the past two seasons, including five during the current fall campaign. His son Anthony Rubio is a regular running back for the Florida Gators college team.Of the 23 trips Rubio made to Gainesville aboard military aircraft, 15 were classified as personal trips, according to the newspaper. Usage published Department of Defense Hourly Operating Rates for various military aircraft, Post he estimates the flights cost more than $1.2 million.Rubio’s trips often involved flying from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, to Homestead Air Reserve Base near Miami, followed by a solo flight to Gainesville. On Nov. 7, he arrived in Gainesville aboard an Air Force C-37, a plane normally used to transport high-ranking government officials, and watched the Gators lose 23-7 to Oklahoma. Anthony did not play in this game.The pieces drew attention in part because Anthony’s playing time was limited. Now a senior and the third of Rubio’s four children, he has appeared in just four competitive games in four years on the varsity, including two this season. ESPN Stats show he had 14 carries for 75 yards and one touchdown during his college career.

Why Rubio’s Travel Raised Ethical Questions

Rubio must use military aircraft because of security protocols followed by the secretary of state along with other senior officials including the secretary of defense and the directors of the FBI and CIA. The goal of these measures is to ensure that officials maintain access to secure communications and can meet continuity of government requirements while on the road.However, The Washington Post reported that Rubio’s use of government aircraft appeared to exceed that of his predecessors. Antony Blinken, who served as secretary of state under Joe Biden, reportedly took personal trips aboard a government plane “only a few times a year,” according to two former officials cited by the newspaper.Government officials traveling on military aircraft for personal reasons must reimburse the public purse for the equivalent of a commercial economy class ticket. However, this payment is substantially less than the actual operating costs of the aircraft. Neither Rubio nor the State Department disclosed how much he paid for the trips Post reported.Cynthia Brown, senior ethics counsel at the nonpartisan watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said Rubio’s trip looked “more like an optics problem than a violation of the law,” but argued that the frequency of the trips deserves scrutiny.“If this travel becomes something that undermines the integrity of your service, are you really taking care of the taxpayer dollars as you are obligated to as a public official?” Brown said Post.“It’s something that I think is really important that we shine a light on,” she added.Brown noted that while Rubio may not be doing anything that is “technically inappropriate,” he remains the person who decides how often and how far he will travel.

Rubio defends roads while State Department pushes back

Rubio defended his trip in a statement The Washington Posthe said: “I have and will try to get to as many events as possible that are important to me personally and my family.”The controversy also revived scrutiny of Rubio’s previous criticism of government officials’ personal use of publicly funded aircraft. In 2023, while serving as a Republican senator from Florida, he called for an investigation into then-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s use of government jets for personal travel.Rubio argued at the time, “American taxpayers deserve assurance that their tax dollars will not be wasted by top government officials.” The Department of Transportation’s inspector general subsequently cleared Buttigieg of wrongdoing. The review examined eight trips at a total cost of $59,000.Dylan Johnson, the assistant secretary of state, dismissed the comparison between the two cases in a post on X on Wednesday, calling it “silly.”“The Secretary of State (like POTUS, VP, SecWar and others) is REQUIRED to use military aircraft to maintain access to secure communications at all times and to maintain continuity of government protocols,” Johnson wrote.“Pete Buttigieg (was not) a mandatory user of military aircraft.”Johnson said Rubio would continue to use government transportation and reimburse the government for “all personal travel.”“(He) is completely unapologetic and will continue to attend as many family events as his job allows — including his son’s senior year of college football games,” Johnson added.