U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President of Public Affairs Jonathan Grella released the following statement on the Visa Waiver Program:
“While the nation’s visa issuance process receives a close review, lawmakers must recall the importance of a widely recognized driver of legitimate international travel to the U.S.: the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). The VWP is valued by Homeland Security secretaries of all political stripes and members of Congress on both sides of the aisle. There is strong expert consensus that the VWP is a net benefit for national security, owing to its rigorous standards for inclusion in the program, the extra layers of vetting it adds for qualified travelers, and the robust intelligence-sharing it enables with 38 of our strongest security allies worldwide. This program must not be recklessly used as a diversionary talking point. We respectfully urge Democrats and Republicans alike to familiarize themselves with the many benefits the VWP provides our nation, as well as the recent enhancements that Congress applied to the program.
“Americans would have considerably more positive views toward Washington if all government initiatives worked as well as the VWP—which, as we have stated before, is the best program with the worst name in town.”
