Senator says he wants to probe per diem rates

Per diem rate levels for federal employees traveling on official business have piqued the curiosity of one of Congress' leading government waste critics.

Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., chairman of a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee, said at a hearing last week that he intends to launch a review of the government's method for setting the rates. A spokesman said Monday that while this is an idea the subcommittee is considering, no hearings are yet planned.

Coburn said an experience on a trip to Iraq earlier this month sponsored by the military prompted his curiosity about per diems. He said he received a total of $670 in excess per diem money from two nights he spent at a hotel in Paris, en route to Iraq and on his return trip. He pledged to write a check to the Treasury for the extra money he received.

"Is the per diem accurate? That's the number one question we should be asking," he said. "I may be wrong that it may be too generous, but I want to look into it and see."

Coburn's spokesman said the Iraq trip was paid for by the State and Defense departments. A Senate Ethics Committee official said federal agencies are authorized to cover travel expenses for members of Congress, but the committee does not track that data.

Domestic per diem rates within the continental United States are set by the General Services Administration annually with periodic updates throughout the year based on the average cost of hotel rooms in a given ZIP code.

The State Department's Bureau of Administration Office of Allowances sets international per diem rates based on rules established by GSA in the Federal Travel Regulation.

According to the State Department regulations, the foreign travel per diem allowance is a payment in lieu of reimbursement for actual living expenses. The established rates are maximums, but under the FTR, agency authorizing officials are required to reduce the maximum rates when necessary to maintain a level of payment consistent with actual travel expenses.

All questions to GSA regarding international travel per diem rates were referred to the State Department.

State Department employees are reimbursed for lodging costs at the actual value for both domestic and international travel, meaning they cannot pocket any extra money, an agency official said. The official could not address other agencies' international travel policies, however.

A GSA official said in a statement that the government's policy for domestic travel permits federal employees to keep only money left over from the meals and incidental expenses part of the per diem. All money spent on lodging is reimbursed to the employee at the actual cost.

The meals and incidental expenses rate for continental U.S. travel can range from $39 to $64 per day depending on the location and covers expenses for food, transportation and other necessities when a federal employee is on official travel.