Sponsors (2)
The bill aims to boost North American travel and tourism—helping small businesses, exporters, and travelers through coordinated promotion and clearer cross‑border policy—while incurring modest federal costs, some administrative and interpretive friction from referencing an external USMCA definition, and potential tradeoffs for security and other policy priorities.
Small businesses, tourism workers, and U.S. travel exporters would likely see increased export opportunities, sustained or growing demand, and potential job gains from coordinated North American promotion and a USMCA tourism working group.
Americans who travel to Canada and Mexico (families and other travelers) would face easier, more convenient cross-border visits as Congress supports travel cooperation and facilitation measures, helping preserve tourism access and related jobs.
Trade negotiators, federal agencies, and state governments gain clearer, consistent statutory language by aligning the bill's 'North America' reference with the USMCA definition, reducing ambiguity in trade texts and guidance.
Taxpayers could face modest new federal administrative and implementation costs to staff U.S. delegation participation and to carry out working-group initiatives signaled by the bill.
Small businesses, officials, and readers may face transitional confusion and extra compliance/interpretation burden because the bill references the USMCA definition in another statute (19 U.S.C. § 4502(9)) rather than restating the operative text.
Prioritizing export growth and travel promotion could put pressure on visa, screening, or security policies, potentially affecting traveler access or increasing national-security trade-offs.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Directs USTR to advocate creating a trilateral USMCA Travel and Tourism Trade Working Group to coordinate policy and boost North American tourism, with interagency membership and congressional briefings.
Official title: Direct the United States Trade Representative to prioritize the formation of a working group on travel and tourism during the next joint review conducted under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 5, 2026 by Catherine Marie Cortez Masto · Last progress February 5, 2026
Directs the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to seek creation of a USMCA Travel and Tourism Trade Working Group at the first post-enactment USMCA joint review. The working group would be co‑chaired by U.S., Canadian, and Mexican officials, include multiple U.S. agencies and industry input, meet at least annually, pursue measures to boost North American travel and tourism competitiveness, and require regular briefings to specified congressional committees.