Washington, D.C. – September 8, 2016 – The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) today commended the bipartisan leadership of Senators Ayotte (R-NH) and Hirono (D-HI), along with eight additional senators, who sent a letter to the Chairmen and Ranking Members of both the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and House Armed Services Committee (HASC) urging for the repeal of the per diem rate cuts instituted by the Department of Defense for uniform and civilian employees on long-term temporary duty (TDY) travel. As both committees work through legislative differences to craft the final National Defense Reauthorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2017, the Senators’ letter encouraged the committees to include language that will restore per diem rates to reasonable levels.

“It is imperative to put an end to these ill-conceived cuts to travel per diem rates for Defense Department personnel, “said AH&LA’s Vice President of Government Affairs Craig Kalkut. “We applaud the steadfast leadership of Senators Ayotte and Hirono, along with the bipartisan group of Senators, for urging the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees to restore a reasonable approach to travel policy. These cuts have caused undue burden on military travelers and local business owners alike. They have made it challenging for hotels to provide appropriate levels of service, and in certain cases, increased costs to the military. AH&LA will continue to work with members of Congress to reinforce the need to ensure fair and sustainable per diem rates.” 

AH&LA supports per diem policies that reflect market realities and allow hotels to be fairly compensated for the services they provide, while recognizing the need for the government to get the best value it can for taxpayers. AH&LA continues to work with government agencies, including the General Services Administration, to ensure hotels can best accommodate the needs of government travel. 

### 

Serving the hospitality industry for more than a century, the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) is the sole national association representing all segments of the 2 million-employee U.S. lodging industry, including hotel owners, REITs, chains, franchisees, management companies, independent properties, bed and breakfasts, state hotel associations, and industry suppliers. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., AH&LA provides focused advocacy, communications support, and educational resources for an industry of more than 53,000 properties generating $176 billion in annual sales from 5 million guestrooms.