Costly weekends: 23 military flights to Gainesville draw congressional and watchdog scrutiny
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has flown aboard dedicated U.S. military aircraft to Gainesville, Florida at least 23 times during his tenure, incurring more than $1.2 million in taxpayer operating costs while frequently timing flights to attend University of Florida college football home games, according to government flight records analyzed in a Washington Post investigation published Wednesday.
Rubio’s son, Anthony Rubio, is a walk-on running back for the Florida Gators. Flight manifests and public scheduling documents show that the nation’s chief diplomat attended at least 10 games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, flying directly from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland to Gainesville Regional Airport aboard twin-engine Air Force C-37 passenger jets.
Of the 23 recorded flights to the north-central Florida college town, State Department travel disclosures designated 15 as strictly personal in nature, while eight were classified as combined official and personal trips that included local civic appearances or meetings with regional officials.
Protocol loopholes: How executive security rules subsidize luxury transport
Under long-standing federal national security directives, the Secretary of State is designated as a "required user" of government aircraft, legally barring the official from traveling aboard commercial airlines due to continuous secure communications requirements and personal security considerations. Similar restrictions apply to the Secretary of Defense, the Attorney General, and the directors of the FBI and CIA.
However, ethics watchdogs point out that federal travel regulations allow cabinet officials to repay the government for purely personal flights at the equivalent rate of an economy-class commercial ticket—often a few hundred dollars—while the Department of Defense absorbs operating expenses that exceed $10,000 per flight hour for military aircraft and accompanying crew rotation.
“The security rule is designed to safeguard essential command communications, not to establish an open-ended personal shuttle service for collegiate athletic events,” said an ethics analyst with Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. “While previous secretaries have taken occasional personal flights, the frequency and concentration of these weekend trips to Gainesville significantly outpace historical norms.”
Secretary defends attendance as ethics groups demand flight reform
Rubio vigorously defended his travel practices when questioned by reporters, insisting that he complies fully with all statutory rules and reimbursement formulas while fulfilling an extraordinarily demanding diplomatic travel schedule worldwide.
“Like any father, I try to be there for milestones that are important to my children and my family whenever my public duties permit,” Rubio said in a statement. “Every trip complies completely with State Department guidelines, ethics clearances, and federal law. I pay every required dollar of personal reimbursement mandated by the government, and my security detail remains fully operational whether I am traveling domestically or representing our nation abroad.”
Congressional oversight staff confirmed that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are reviewing whether current reimbursement statutes reflect the modern cost of operating VIP military aircraft fleets or whether legislative updates are necessary to prevent taxpayer subsidies of high-frequency personal executive travel.
