Global Affairs

Since then-Gov. Rick Perry began his 2012 presidental campaign in 2011, feeding his security detail cost more than $600,000. The Texas Department of Public Safety consider the invoices for these expenditures to be state secrets, making it difficult to ascertain what the money was spent on. But the DPS released a spreadsheet to The Texas Tribune covering the broad categories of the security expenditures. Below are five of the most expensive international trips.

Cernobbio, Italy (Lake Como)

August - September 2012

Cernobbio, Italy (Lake Como)
$40,196.54
on travel
$100.00
on fuel
$14,508.90
on food
$14,097.19
on lodging
$718.35
on other
$69,620.98
total spent

At the end of August 2012, Perry took an eight-day trip to Italy to attend the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix and meet with business leaders. The governor’s office released a statement at the time stating “no tax dollars will be used for Perry’s travel and accommodations on this trip.”

Source: Perry Going to Italy for F1 Race, Economic Forum

Tel Aviv, Israel

October 2013

Tel Aviv, Israel
$160.77
on travel
$120.00
on fuel
$12,750.82
on food
-
on lodging
$550.50
on other
$13,582.09
total spent

In October 2013, Perry traveled to Tel Aviv to join Israeli President Shimon Peres and Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp in announcing plans to open a Texas A&M campus in Nazareth.

Source: Texas A&M Will Open "Peace" Campus in Israel

Zurich, Switzerland

January 2014

Zurich, Switzerland
$16,717.70
on travel
$286.56
on fuel
$8,504.50
on food
$13,149.47
on lodging
$380.33
on other
$39,038.56
total spent

Perry traveled to Switzerland in January 2014 to take part in the World Economic Forum in Davos. He participated in private meetings and participated in a pair of panel discussions during the four-day trip. His trip was covered by the super PAC Americans for Economic Freedom. The group was created by supporters of Perry’s 2012 presidential run using leftover funds from the shuttered super PAC Make Us Great Again.

Source: Gov. Rick Perry to speak at World Economic Forum in Switzerland (Austin American-Statesman)

Koror, Palau

April 2014

Koror, Palau
$4,592.80
on travel
$414.05
on fuel
$12,689.21
on food
$23,560.00
on lodging
$7,021.07
on other
$48,277.13
total spent

In April 2014, Perry flew to the Republic of Palau to participate in the BentProp Project, helping search for the missing remains of MIAs at crash sites of military aircraft from World War II. The BentProp project paid for Perry’s trip.

Source: Rick Perry heading to Palau, looking for downed WWII pilots (The Dallas Morning News)

Bejing, China

September 2014

Bejing, China
$265.17
on travel
-
on fuel
$11,673.19
on food
-
on lodging
$6,142.09
on other
$18,080.45
total spent

Last September, Perry traveled to Bejing to meet with business leaders. The Asia trip included stops in Tokyo and Tianjin, China.

Source: Rick Perry packing his bags for Japan, China (The Dallas Morning News)