Marco Rubio is not backing down after a report on his travel tab. The Secretary of State has racked up more than $1.2 million in personal trips in under two years.

No fewer than 10 of the trips were tied to Gators football games.

Gainesville trips

According to reports, Rubio has flown to Gainesville at least 23 times on government aircraft. His son Anthony is a running back for the Gators.

Fifteen of those flights were for personal reasons. Most of the 23 visits lined up with games, practices or scrimmages.

Who pays

Rubio is supposed to pay back the cost of each personal trip. The rate he owes is what an economy seat would cost.

Those repayments are not made public. They also often fall far short of what the flights really cost.

Rubio's response

Rubio said he will keep trying to show up for moments that matter to him and his family. "I have and will continue to try and make it to as many events that are important to me personally and to my family as possible," he said.

Dylan Johnson, an assistant secretary at the State Department, cited security rules. He said Rubio "is REQUIRED to use military aircraft to maintain access to secure communications at all times and comply with continuity of government protocols."

Johnson made clear there would be no apology. He said Rubio will keep going to family events when his job allows, including his son's games during his last college football season.