The House Armed Services Committee voted to repeal per diem rate cuts instituted by the Department of Defense for uniform and civilian employees on long-term travel, as well as temporary duty, which were instituted in December 2014.
The push to repeal these rate cuts was backed by the American Hotel & Lodging Association, which met with members of congress in lobbying efforts to have the cuts removed. The amendment would restore the per diem rates to the levels they were before the cuts.
“We applaud the House Armed Services Committee for passing an important amendment out of committee to restore a reasonable approach to travel policy,” said Craig Kalkut, AH&LA’s VP of government affairs. “On behalf of the U.S. hotel industry, and particularly the many hotels that cater to military bases and communities, we commend Congressman Mark Takai on his steadfast leadership in seeking to put an end to these ill-conceived cuts to travel per diem rates for Defense Department personnel. These cuts have made it challenging for hotels to provide appropriate levels of service to military travelers, caused hardships to workers, and in certain cases, actually increased costs to the military while jeopardizing its ability to adequately perform critical functions.”
