Paul Singer

USA TODAY

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has spoken only eight times on the Senate floor since January, 2015, but has still has spent about $60,000 to keep a speechwriter on his Senate staff.

The expense is odd, but totally legal. Rubio is one of about a half dozen Republican senators who keep a speechwriter on staff, though the others all spoke on the floor more often.

Senate speechwriters do more than write speeches, so Rubio's speechwriter is not just sitting around with nothing to do. In Rubio's case, speechwriter Robert Noel's duties "have been more wide-ranging than the title suggests," said spokesman Alex Burgos. "He also helps write, edit and review Sen. Rubio's opinion columns, press releases and statements, letters to the administration, constituent correspondence and other written communications out of our Senate office."

Noel works in Rubio's Senate office — paid from Rubio's taxpayer-funded account — not for the Rubio presidential campaign.

Seven Republican senators reported having a full time "speechwriter" on their staff in 2015, including Senate leaders Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Jon Cornyn of Texas, who have each spoken on the floor more than 100 times since January 2015, according to a database maintained by C-SPAN.

Eleven Democratic Senators paid speechwriters in 2015, all making more floor appearances than Rubio.

Other GOP senators paying speechwriters include: Susan Collins of Maine who has spoken 42 times in the 114th Congress; Rob Portman of Ohio who has spoken 44 times on the floor; and Roger Wicker of Mississippi who has spoken 16 times. In 2013-2014, Rubio spoke on the Senate floor 55 times, C-SPAN records show.

Wicker spokesman Ryan Taylor said Senate floor speeches are a small portion of the speechwriter's duties, noting that in the past two weeks alone the senator has chaired a subcommittee hearing, addressed a Teach For America Gathering, and given remarks before the American Medicine Association among other events -— all of which required prepared remarks.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who is competing with Rubio for the Republican presidential nomination, reported paying about $32,000 to a "senior communications advisor/speechwriter" for the first half of last year, but he has not had a speechwriter on staff since July. Cruz has spoken on the floor 19 times since Jan. 2015, after speaking 60 times the two years prior.