Advisory
Docket 25-A04 · Management Advisory
Department of Education Travel Audit, FY2025
2025-11-15 · Department of Education · Fiscal Oversight
The CFA Editorial Board finds that the Department of Education’s travel and per diem practices in FY2025 did not consistently align with federal travel regulations or the agency’s own policy. This advisory summarizes the evidence and recommends immediate corrective action.
Executive Summary
The Department of Education (ED) spent approximately $12.4M on official travel in FY2025. A cross-reference of travel vouchers, conference registrations, and internal policy documents shows that an estimated 18% of sampled transactions did not comply with the Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) or ED’s internal travel policy. Non-compliant patterns include per diem claimed for days with no documented government business, first-class air travel without approved justification, and conference attendance that exceeded the “minimum necessary” standard under OMB M-12-12. The Federal Travel Regulation (41 CFR Ch. 300) and ED’s own Travel Manual require that all travel be necessary, authorized, and documented. This advisory recommends that the Office of the Chief Financial Officer conduct a full internal review and that the Inspector General consider a targeted audit of high-risk travel categories.