Sponsors (8)
The bill provides a rapid $160 million marketing boost to support tourism businesses and local economies in hopes of increasing international visitation, at the cost of redirecting visa-fee balances away from other federal priorities and potentially reducing resources for visa-related services and oversight.
Tourism businesses (hotels, restaurants, attractions) and tourism-dependent local governments receive a direct $160 million boost for international marketing through Brand USA, increasing resources to attract visitors.
Travel-sector businesses and communities could see increased visitor spending and local economic activity if expanded Brand USA marketing attracts more international travelers.
Small tourism businesses and local governments get faster access to support because the law requires the $160 million transfer to occur within 30 days of enactment, providing near-term assistance to the travel sector.
U.S. taxpayers effectively forgo $160 million in visa-fee-derived federal balances that could otherwise be used for deficit reduction or other federal priorities.
Redirecting visa-fee-derived funds to marketing may reduce funding available for visa-related services and oversight, potentially slowing processing or weakening oversight and affecting visa applicants and federal agencies.
Matching and carryforward requirements imposed on Brand USA could limit how quickly all funds are spent on promotion, delaying benefits to small tourism businesses and communities.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Transfers $160 million from unobligated Travel Promotion Fund fee balances to Brand USA within 30 days, exempting the transfer from a statutory cap while preserving matching and carryforward rules.
Introduced November 19, 2025 by Daniel Scott Sullivan · Last progress November 19, 2025
Transfers $160 million from unobligated fee balances in the Travel Promotion Fund to the Corporation for Travel Promotion (Brand USA), to be completed within 30 days of enactment and limited to funds available before October 1, 2025. The transfer is exempted from an existing statutory cap, but existing matching and carryforward rules for Brand USA funds still apply.