U.S. Travel Association CEO Roger Dow praised Congress for
passing a spending bill that averts a government shutdown, approves the funding
of "important security and travel facilitation programs," and doesn't
raise TSA fees on travelers.
The House and Senate passed a $1.17 trillion spending bill
that President Donald Trump is expected to sign, funding the government through
September.
"This spending bill provides significant funding to
address a number of our industry's most pressing policy priorities," Dow
said in a statement. "It creates a $75 million emergency fund to address
emerging global health threats like Ebola and Zika. It will accelerate the hiring
of front-line CBP inspectors in order to keep wait times at our ports of entry
manageable, and directs new funds to the Visa Security Program, which will aid
in the efficient processing of visa applications.
"It devotes new resources to help identify the small
fraction of travelers who overstay their visas, invests $1 billion in air
traffic control updates, and allots funding for continued TSA modernization,
including $23 million to expand canine detection programs at domestic airports,"
he added.
Dow applauded the decision not to raise TSA fees "in
light of the continued diversion of passenger TSA fees away from security
purposes."
"Keeping travelers moving to and within the U.S. is
vital to our nation's economic health," Dow said. "Unnecessarily
cutting or disrupting the operations of agencies like the FAA, CBP and TSA
would place considerable strain on travelers, stymie national security efforts
and cost our country billions in lost travel revenue. ... We thank lawmakers for
passing this spending bill and urge them to continue investing in travel
infrastructure, facilitation programs and security."