{
  "id": 19803087,
  "title": "Marco Rubio Is Using Taxpayer Money for Personal Travel",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/13/marco-rubio-is-using-taxpayer-money-for-personal-travel",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-13T12:10:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Atlantic",
    "slug": "the-atlantic",
    "url": "https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026/11/marco-rubio-flights-football/689424/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The story of Secretary of State Marco Rubio using taxpayer-funded military jets for personal travel, specifically to attend college football games, has come to light. Rubio, a Florida alum, has defended his actions by citing the importance of these events to his family, particularly his son Anthony, who is a walk-on player for the University of Florida Gators. However, Anthony's participation in games is minimal, with only three rushing attempts made this season. Since becoming Secretary of State, Rubio has flown on these jets at least 10 times, costing taxpayers over $1.2 million. Despite being required to reimburse the government for economy-fare tickets, Rubio has used military jets that cost between $9,000 and $18,600 an hour. Rubio's dedication to his son's football career has been questioned, with some arguing that it is inappropriate to use taxpayer money for such personal interests. Critics have pointed out that this behavior sets a poor example and that Rubio's defense of his actions is misguided.",
  "summary": "The secretary of state’s justification for taking military jets to football games doesn’t quite hold up.",
  "key_points": [
    "Secretary of State Marco Rubio used taxpayer-funded military jets for personal travel.",
    "He traveled to college football games to support his son Anthony, a walk-on player."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}