Texans to Pay Perry’s $1.4M Security Bill

A Texas-sized security bill -- $1.4 million and counting -- will be sent to Lone Star State residents courtesy of Gov. Rick Perry.

The Texas Tribune newspaper did a review of the security provided by state authorities for the Republican presidential candidate for out-of-state trips between September and mid-December, and found $1.4 million in expenses.

"Security levels and tactics are determined by the Texas Department of Public Safety," Perry campaign spokesman Ray Sullivan told Fox News.

Perry launched his presidential run in Charleston, S.C., on Aug. 13. The next month, he took his first campaign road trip to California.

Security costs for that month alone totaled $397,000.

The department only releases quarterly summaries and the detailed costs are not due for 18 months so it won’t be clear just how high the security bill will go until after millions of presidential votes have been cast.

Perry is the only sitting governor running for president and other than President Obama, his detail is the only one currently being paid for by taxpayers, although businessman Herman Cain had requested Secret Service protection before he dropped out of the race.

Some in Texas, like House Democratic Leader Jessica Farrar, say Perry should offset some of the cost with campaign dollars.

"He could have paid for this out of campaign funds, especially given that he's asked the Texas taxpayers to tighten their belts," Farrar told the Texas Tribune.

The figures, while perhaps explicable, are eye-opening. The Texas Tribune says the $397,000 spent for security in September includes "$161,786 for airfare, $8,140 for baggage fees, $50,648.84 for food, $6,442.24 for fuel, $112,111.81 for lodging, $54,356.65 for rentals, $2,990.26 for parking and $1,238.57 in an unspecified 'other' category."

In the past, Perry has maintained that it is appropriate for Texas to pay for his security.

Sullivan reiterated that saying, “Security expenses are handled in a manner consistent with precedent set by previous governors who ran for national office. State security expenses are paid for by the Texas DPS as established by state law and precedent."

The Tribune reports Perry’s large security bills aren’t out of line with what then-Gov. George W. Bush spent for security during his 2000 presidential run.