With ballots in several key states still being counted Wednesday, it was too early to tell what effect the 2020 general election would have on areas that matter to the travel agency community, ASTA said in a member update.
Top among those priorities is additional federal relief for businesses. ASTA said it remains unclear if the post-election Congressional session would take quick action on additional relief, or if efforts to provide a new relief package would be on hold until the new year.
The Society is also monitoring issues including the outlook for cruising, harmonizing various rules on Covid testing versus quarantines, independent contractor regulations and a Covid-19 vaccine's development and distribution.
ASTA said it appears Republicans will maintain their hold on the Senate, while Democrats will retain the House of Representatives.
If results hold, ASTA said, there will not have been much turnover on the committees with which the Society regularly engages, including the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
In total, 30 of the 31 legislators ASTA's political action committee supported won their elections. It was "an astonishing" 97% win rate, ASTA said.
"We offer our congratulations to the winners and appreciation for the efforts of those who came up short, and look forward to working with policymakers from both sides of the aisle to help the travel industry recover from Covid," ASTA said.