Fact check: Do current U.S. Senators receive a $96 per diem for meals and how is it calculated?

1. Where the $96 number comes from and why it’s misleading

The $96 figure stems from historical standard CONUS lodging bases published by the GSA: FY 2020 and FY 2021 materials show a standard lodging benchmark around $94–$96, and FY 2023 noted a shift from $96 to $98 for the standard CONUS lodging rate ^{[2] [1] [4]}. These GSA figures are lodging benchmarks, not meal allowances; the GSA separately publishes M&IE (meals and incidental expenses) tiers and standard M&IE rates that are materially lower and tiered by location. Because the $96 amount is a lodging baseline in GSA releases, citing it as a Senator meals per diem conflates two distinct GSA constructs—lodging and M&IE—and ignores the statutory delegation that lets Senate committees set final ceilings ^{[1] [2] [5]}.

2. How per diem for Senators is authorized and limited

U.S. Code directs that per diem and subsistence for Senators be capped by rules the Senate’s Committee on Rules and Administration prescribes, with special provisions for travel outside the continental United States and for actual-expense reimbursement in certain cases ^{[3] [6]}. That statutory framework means Senators’ reimbursements do not automatically mirror GSA federal employee rates; instead, the Senate applies GSA schedules as a practical starting point but retains internal authority to determine what the contingent fund will pay. The U.S. Code language therefore creates flexibility and committee control rather than a single across-the-board statutory dollar amount like “$96 for meals” ^{[3] [6]}.

3. What the GSA publishes now about meals and incidentals

Recent GSA summaries show M&IE (meals and incidental expenses) standard rates that are significantly lower than the $96 lodging benchmark: FY 2025 highlights list standard M&IE at $59 and M&IE ranges around $59–$79 depending on location, with FAQs confirming M&IE covers taxes and tips and is separate from lodging ^{[5] [7]}. GSA methods for setting rates use local market averages and a five percent subtraction to derive lodging figures; M&IE tiers are calculated differently and change annually. These GSA publications are the operative federal per diem backdrop used by many congressional offices and committees when they reference current federal per diem schedules ^{[1] [5]}.

4. Practical application: how Senators’ travel reimbursements are calculated

In practice, Senate reimbursements for official travel typically reference GSA CONUS rates for lodging and the GSA M&IE tables for meals, but the Senate’s Committee on Rules and Administration determines allowable ceilings and exceptions under the statute; for travel outside CONUS or for actual-expense regimes, separate rules apply ^{[3] [8]}. Historical GSA documents show lodging and M&IE have distinct numbers and methodologies—lodging relied on an average daily rate less five percent and M&IE used tiered daily meal rates—so reimbursement for a Senator on official travel will usually combine a locality-specific lodging cap with the applicable M&IE rate rather than apply a single $96 meals number ^{[1] [2] [5]}.

5. Reconciling viewpoints and the bottom line for accuracy

Claiming Senators receive a $96 per diem for meals misstates both GSA data and statutory practice: $96 appears as a historical lodging benchmark, not a meals allowance, and Senate rules—not a flat statutory meals figure—govern Senator reimbursements ^{[2] [3]}. Sources vary by date and function: FY 2020–2023 GSA releases document the $94–$98 lodging range ^{[2] [1]}, FY 2025 materials state standard M&IE at $59 ^[5], and the U.S. Code shows committee control over per diem ceilings ^{[3] [6]}. The accurate summary is that Senators’ meal reimbursements follow GSA M&IE schedules as a baseline but are subject to Senate committee rules; there is no standing statutory $96 meals per diem.