Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), chairman of the House Budget Committee, unveiled his fiscal road map for the next decade, and it does not include Brand USA.
The House Republican Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Resolution released Tuesday recommends the elimination of Brand USA, a public-private entity that promotes travel to the U.S.
“This budget recommends ending these subsidies and eliminating the new agency because it is not a core responsibility of the federal government to pay for and conduct advertising campaigns for any industry. Moreover, the travel industry can and should pay for the advertising that it benefits from," the document said.
Brand USA’s funding runs through September 2015. Its reauthorization is tied to the immigration bill that is stalled for the foreseeable future in the House of Representatives.
Created by the Travel Promotion Act of 2009, Brand USA is funded by a fee levied on visitors coming to the U.S from countries participating in the Visa Waiver program, and by matching contributions from the private sector.
Those contributions increased from $60 million in FY2012 to $130 million in FY2013.
In February, Brand USA released a study that said its marketing efforts had resulted in 1.1 million additional visitors to the U.S. during Brand USA’s second fiscal year.