Jack Reed: “for the past 9 years the visa waiver pilot program has been a resounding success. Today, citizens from twenty-five…”

“for the past 9 years the visa waiver pilot program has been a resounding success. Today, citizens from twenty-five countries are able to travel to the United States without the burden of obtaining a visa from a U.S. embassy before leaving home. Because the program makes travel so much easier, business has boomed, tourism has soared, and family members have been able to be with each other on occasions when it mattered. Cutting the bureaucratic red tape has strengthened our economic and cultural ties with participating countries. In addition, streamlining this administrative process has enabled the State Department to use its resources more efficiently and effectively, saving the American taxpayers thousands of dollars. Today, I am introducing a bill which will extend the privilege of the visa waiver program to additional countries with strong ties to our Nation. This legislation will slightly modify the criteria that a country must meet in order to participate in the program. Under these modifications, one country which will gain admittance to the visa waiver program is Portugal.”