Taxpayers paid portion of Cruz's political trips

Two months after staging a marathon Senate speech to protest the growth of government spending, Sen. Ted Cruz took a New York fundraising swing highlighted by a visit with Donald Trump — and put it on the taxpayers' tab. The trip, which cost more than $1,200, was one of several taxpayer-funded excursions the Texas Republican has taken to political events. Senate rules mandate that official funds — allocated to each senator to operate their Capitol Hill office — "may only be used for official purposes" and "No official resources may be used to conduct campaign activities," according to the Senate Ethics Committee.

Taxpayers paid portion of Cruz's political trips