News & Commentary

“Former Congressman Sean Duffy will bring strong leadership to the Department of Transportation, an agency that serves a critical role in facilitating travel. There is a significant opportunity ahead to strengthen and improve the travel process by modernizing our nation’s travel infrastructure. U.S. Travel looks forward to partnering with Secretary Duffy and the DOT to, as he put it in his confirmation hearing, ‘usher in a golden age of travel.’”

“We congratulate Kristi Noem on her appointment to lead the Department of Homeland Security. She steps into this role at a critical time—when the opportunity to improve both travel security and efficiency has never been more important. As we prepare to showcase America and welcome the world for major events over the next four years, it is paramount that DHS is prepared for its public safety responsibility as well as its duty to facilitate the lawful travel of millions to and within the country."

"We applaud the U.S. Senate for confirming Marco Rubio as Secretary of State, a position that is central to welcoming millions of global travelers to the United States every year. Through his leadership as a senator from Florida, Secretary Rubio understands the economic and diplomatic impact of a robust travel industry."

“Expanding the Visa Waiver Program with the addition of Romania is a welcome step toward building back our share of global travel. The VWP enhances national security with greater information sharing between governments while facilitating increased travel for millions of potential visitors."

“Lawmakers arrived at the right decision to pass a bill that provides both certainty for critical federal travel operations and disaster relief for hurricane-devastated communities across the southeast. Let’s hope that how we got here isn’t a precursor for all of the important decisions ahead.”

"A prolonged government shutdown threatens holiday travel disruptions that Americans won’t tolerate," said Geoff Freeman, President and CEO, U.S. Travel Association. "It’s hard to see how anyone in Congress wins if they force TSA workers, air traffic controllers, and other essential employees to work without pay during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.”