The terms are rather general, and the White House determines whether a trip is for official or political purposes, or for a combination of the two. The travel policies of specific Administrations concerning the reimbursement of expenses for unofficial travel generally are not publicly available. However, the Reagan Administration established written guidelines in 1982 to determine when the President, Vice President, and any assistants accompanying them on military aircraft travel at government expense and when they, or the political organizations on whose behalf they travel, are to reimburse the government with the equivalent of the airfare that they would have had to pay had they traveled on commercial airlines. It appears likely that subsequent Administrations have used the Reagan Administration guidelines as a foundation for their own travel policies. Official and Unofficial Travel

When White House personnel are on official travel, certain personal expenses, which include per diem (food and lodging), car rentals, and other incidentals, are paid by the government. On such trips, they pay for their own food, lodging, and other incidental expenses. When travel involves both official and political functions, the White House uses a formula to determine how much airfare is to be paid by the traveler, and how any per diem and other travel-related costs are to be paid by the government. Sometimes it is difficult to determine whether a trip, or part of a trip, should be characterized as official or unofficial. Security considerations are also the primary reason for use of military aircraft by the Vice President and First Lady.
For security and other reasons, the President, Vice President, and First Lady use military aircraft when they travel. The White House generally categorizes the trips as fulfilling either official or political functions. Often, a trip involves both official and political, or unofficial, activities. When a trip is for an official function, the government pays all costs, including per diem (food and lodging), car rentals, and other incidental expenses. When a trip is for political or unofficial purposes, those involved must pay for their own food and lodging and other related expenses, and they must also reimburse the government with the equivalent of the airfare that they would have paid had they used a commercial airline. When a trip involves both official and political activities, a formula determines the amount to be reimbursed for that part of the trip involving political activities. Whether a trip is for official or political purposes, the Air Force pays all operational and other costs incurred by the use of the aircraft. While the travel policies of specific Administrations concerning the reimbursement of expenses for unofficial travel generally are not publicly available, it appears that policy guidelines developed by the Reagan White House have served as a basis for the travel policies of subsequent Administrations. This report will be updated as new information becomes available.