There is no separate Congress food allowance paid on top of a member’s salary. House members can instead seek reimbursement for meals out of their official office budget on days they are working in Washington, D.C., or traveling for legislative business, and those reimbursements are capped at General Services Administration per diem rates. For the D.C. area in fiscal year 2026, that cap is $92 per day for meals and incidentals.1General Services Administration. FY 2026 Per Diem Rates for District of Columbia Every dollar claimed is documented and eventually published as part of the public record.
Where the Money Comes From
House meal reimbursements are paid from the Members’ Representational Allowance, the annual office budget authorized under federal law for “the conduct of the official and representational duties” of the member.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 2 USC 5341 – Representational Allowance for Members of House of Representatives The MRA covers staff salaries, office rent, supplies, mail, equipment, and travel, including meals eaten on qualifying days.
The MRA is not personal income. Members cannot pocket what they do not spend, and the Committee on House Administration sets the rules for what qualifies. One rule matters directly here: the MRA cannot be used to pay for alcoholic beverages under any circumstances.3United States Committee on House Administration. Members’ Congressional Handbook
When Meals Qualify in Washington, D.C.
Starting with the 118th Congress in 2023, the Committee on House Administration formalized a reimbursement system that recognizes members work in two places at once: their home district and Washington. The resolution set up what is often called a “dual duty station” framework.4Committee on House Administration. Committee Resolution 118-15 Before that change, members had no formal way to cover D.C. living costs from their office budget, even though their $174,000 salary has been unchanged since 2009.
Under the current rules, a House member can claim meals, lodging, and incidental expenses on days the House is in session or the member attends an official committee hearing or meeting. The daily cap follows the GSA rate for the D.C. area. For fiscal year 2026, that $92 daily total breaks down to $23 for breakfast, $26 for lunch, $38 for dinner, and $5 for incidentals. On the first and last day of travel between the district and D.C., only 75 percent of the daily rate applies.
Days with no official business do not qualify. A member who stays in town over a weekend with no votes or meetings scheduled cannot claim reimbursement for those days. Rather than turning in a receipt for every sandwich, members certify that they incurred eligible expenses on the qualifying days and have not been reimbursed for them from another source.4Committee on House Administration. Committee Resolution 118-15
Meals During Official Travel Elsewhere
When a member travels outside both D.C. and the home district for legislative purposes, meal reimbursement adjusts to the GSA per diem rate for the destination. That matters because rates vary by city. The standard rate for locations without a special designation is $68 per day for meals and incidentals in fiscal year 2026; high-cost cities run higher.5General Services Administration. Per Diem Rates
Committee investigations, fact-finding trips, and hearings held outside Washington all qualify. Campaigning, fundraising, and personal side trips do not, no matter where they occur. Because these travel meals come out of the same MRA that pays for staff and rent, a heavier travel schedule leaves less budget for everything else.
How the Senate Differs
Senators operate under a parallel system funded by the Senators’ Official Personnel and Office Expense Account.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 2 USC 6313 – Senators Official Personnel and Office Expense Account Meals tied to official business generally follow the same GSA per diem framework. The Senate did not adopt the House’s 2023 “dual duty station” resolution, so the procedural details on the Senate side are governed separately by Senate rules and the Senate Ethics Manual.
Tax Treatment
Federal tax law defines a member of Congress’s “tax home” as the residence in the state or district they represent, not Washington, D.C., and the same statute expressly prohibits members from deducting D.C. living expenses on their income taxes.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 162 – Trade or Business Expenses Reimbursements received under the House per diem system are treated as accountable plan payments and generally are not taxable income to the member, provided they stay within the GSA rates and are properly documented. A member cannot claim both the reimbursement and a tax deduction for the same costs.
Receipts and Documentation
The D.C. subsistence process is streamlined: members certify eligible expenses on qualifying days rather than turning in individual meal receipts, and no reimbursement can exceed the GSA daily cap regardless of what was actually spent.4Committee on House Administration. Committee Resolution 118-15
Other official travel is stricter. Under the Federal Travel Regulation, itemized receipts are required for any individual meal exceeding $75 and for all lodging regardless of amount.8eCFR. 41 CFR Part 301-11 – Subsistence Expenses Itemization is how the alcohol prohibition is enforced in practice: a receipt showing a bar tab triggers denial. Records must be retained for several years for potential audits by the House Finance Office.
Public Records and Penalties
Every expense paid from the MRA becomes public. The House publishes a quarterly Statement of Disbursements listing receipts and expenditures for members, committees, leadership, officers, and offices, and anyone can search the records online without a request or a fee.9house.gov. Statement of Disbursements Journalists and watchdog groups regularly comb the filings, and that scrutiny is the main practical check on meal spending.
Filing a false reimbursement claim is not only a rule violation. Converting government money to personal use is a federal crime punishable by up to ten years in prison, or up to one year if the amount is $1,000 or less.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 641 – Public Money, Property or Records Short of prosecution, the House Ethics Committee can recommend discipline ranging from reprimand to censure, with fines and mandatory restitution in past cases.11GovInfo. House Practice – A Guide to the Rules, Precedents and Procedures of the House