Companies have aggressively sent workers back out on the road, but stricter travel policies emphasize utility over luxury, with some companies billing employees for incidental expenses like in-flight snacks, checked-baggage fees and rental-car fuel surcharges if they forget to fill up the tank.

WSJ: More Companies Treat Business Travel Like Budget Travel

"It isn't worth squat to have the fastest car at the racetrack if there ain't any gas in the tank and that's why the work that Ready for Hillary PAC is doing is absolutely critical, " Carville said.

WSJ: Hillary Clinton's every public move generates buzz