Political Quotes

“This bill, the Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization Act of 2014--yes, it is a very important bill that is going to increase jobs and boost the economy by promoting the U.S. as a world-class travel destination. The bill reauthorizes Brand USA and increases program accountability and transparency, thanks in large part to the amendments and the regular process that we went through in committee. In 2013, Brand USA generated an additional 1.1 million visitors to the U.S. and, as the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Terry) said, $3.4 billion in additional spending at U.S. businesses. This increase in spending triggered the creation of more than 53,000 American jobs and $2.2 billion in payroll, so Brand USA delivers all those benefits to the U.S. economy at no cost to the American taxpayers--no cost. Earlier this month in my district, I held a roundtable to discuss the benefits of tourism and how this program contributes to southwest Michigan's economy. We had local legislators. We had chambers of commerce. We had tourism organizations. We had State officials. It was noted that in my district, in southwest Michigan, we had nearly $1 billion in spending in 2012, supporting over 9,300 jobs and $200 million in payroll annually just for tourists. There was $1 billion spent in southwest Michigan by tourists. It was also noted that the reauthorization of this bill was their number one priority.…”