Happy Holidays From The Far Council -- Proposed Restrictions On Allowable Airfare
Client Alert | 1 min read | 12.21.07
In a proposed change to FAR 31.205-46(b) (72 Fed. Reg. 72325 (Dec. 20, 2007)), the FAR Council is seeking public comments on a proposal to change the standard for allowable airfare from "the lowest customary standard, coach, or equivalent airfare offered during normal business hours" to nothing "in excess of the lowest priced coach class, or equivalent, airfare available to the contractor during normal business hours." While it appears from the comments in the proposed regulation and what is known about the background of this proposal that the principal purpose of the proposal is to measure the unallowable cost attributable to premium airfares by disallowing the excess over the lowest available discounted airfare available, the proposal obviously has the potential for creating serious difficulties for all contractors and all travel where the lowest price "available to the contractor" is determined in an ephemeral internet market that changes literally from minute to minute and depends on a variety of factors including the fliers' willingness to accept advance purchase and minimum stay requirements, restrictions on changes and refundability, and choice of carrier.
Insights
Client Alert | 3 min read | 11.21.25
On November 7, 2025, in Thornton v. National Academy of Sciences, No. 25-cv-2155, 2025 WL 3123732 (D.D.C. Nov. 7, 2025), the District Court for the District of Columbia dismissed a False Claims Act (FCA) retaliation complaint on the basis that the plaintiff’s allegations that he was fired after blowing the whistle on purported illegally discriminatory use of federal funding was not sufficient to support his FCA claim. This case appears to be one of the first filed, and subsequently dismissed, following Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s announcement of the creation of the Civil Rights Fraud Initiative on May 19, 2025, which “strongly encourages” private individuals to file lawsuits under the FCA relating to purportedly discriminatory and illegal use of federal funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in violation of Executive Order 14173, Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity (Jan. 21, 2025). In this case, the court dismissed the FCA retaliation claim and rejected the argument that an organization could violate the FCA merely by “engaging in discriminatory conduct while conducting a federally funded study.” The analysis in Thornton could be a sign of how forthcoming arguments of retaliation based on reporting allegedly fraudulent DEI activity will be analyzed in the future.
Client Alert | 3 min read | 11.20.25
Client Alert | 3 min read | 11.20.25
Client Alert | 6 min read | 11.19.25
