On the recordDecember 8, 2015
Then I will close on our side. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. A lot of things have been said today that will be very helpful, but I think clarifying some of these issues might be useful for Members. It has been said that there is discrimination in this bill. It is important to note that the Visa Waiver Program discriminates on the basis of nationality. That is why there is only one country, Chile, in Latin America that is in the Visa Waiver Program. Everybody else has to go in for a visa interview. There are no countries in Africa that are eligible for the Visa Waiver Program. Everybody in Africa has to go in for an interview to get a visitor's visa. There are only four sites--Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea--in Asia that are eligible. Everybody else has to go in for a visa interview. So a visa interview is not a terrible thing. It helps us understand what people are about. I include for the Record a letter from the U.S. Travel Association in favor of this bill. It is signed by a large number of groups, including the Asian American Hotel Owners Association and The Travel Technology Association. U.S. Travel Association, Washington, DC, December 8, 2015. Dear Members of the House of Representatives: On behalf of the 14.6 million American workers whose livelihood depends on safe international travel to the United States, we are writing in support of H.R.…
