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OTTAWA — A spending chill has become apparent in the Senate as finance officials clamp down on senators’ expense claims, including per diem claims of the sort that helped land suspended Sen. Mike Duffy in trouble.

Sen. Marjory LeBreton, the former government leader in the upper chamber, lamented Thursday that meal claims were suddenly being rejected by administration officials because food was being served at a committee meeting that senator was attending.

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The complaint, which drew criticism from other committee members, is an example of the crackdown on claims as the federal auditor general probes Senate spending.

“There seems to be a lot of confusion,” LeBreton said. “In view of the auditor general being here and in view of all of us being super-careful about our expenses, I think some of these rules should be clarified.”

They soon will be – for the second time in as many years.

The Senate’s administrative rules — the code that outlines how senators can use taxpayers’ funds — is in the midst of a comprehensive review 10 years after being adopted. The rules have undergone some changes since 2004, including last year when the Senate removed a reference to the so-called “honour code” under which senators operated when submitting expense claims.