News & Commentary

Geoff Freeman, President and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, said, “TSA officers screen nearly a billion passengers a year. With an average salary of around $35,000, these are workers who simply cannot afford to miss a paycheck. Right now, Congress is allowing them to do that work without one. Every time Washington fails to fund the government, these essential workers pay the price. So do travelers. So does the economy. That is why America's travel industry has come together, because this workforce is too important, and the stakes are too high, for this to keep happening."

"Global Entry is far more than a convenience, it is on the front line of national security. Its more than 13 million members undergo rigorous background checks, interviews and vetting. Suspending it doesn't just slow lines. It increases costs and strips away a layer of security infrastructure that took years to build."

“We are glad that DHS has decided to keep PreCheck operational and avoid a crisis of its own making,” said Geoff Freeman, President & CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. “We are urging the same for Global Entry. These Trusted Traveler Programs strengthen aviation security and improve screening efficiency. They are primarily funded by user fees, and there is no reason at this time for them to be suspended.”

U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman issued a statement following the suspension of TSA PreCheck and Global Entry:

One year after U.S. Travel’s Commission on Seamless and Secure Travel released its landmark report, the U.S. Travel Association today highlighted meaningful progress in modernizing America’s travel system—while warning that certain policy proposals, including a $250 "visa integrity fee” and expanded social media screening requirements for visa waiver travelers, could undermine recent gains and weaken U.S. competitiveness.

U.S. Travel, Airlines for America, and the American Hotel & Lodging Association issued a joint statement on the potential lapse of appropriations for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.