March 18, 2020
Today Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus Co-Chairs Congresswoman Dina Titus (NV-1) and Congressman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12) led their colleagues in sending a bipartisan letter to House leadership urging the protection of travel and tourism industry jobs in any long-term coronavirus recovery bill.
In the letter, 50 Members of Congress write that they are “…deeply concerned about the communities and businesses that have been devastated by the total shutdown of the tourism economy as restaurants, resorts, museums, cultural centers, parks, airlines and more have closed or been significantly impacted by the spread of COVID-19.”
The full text of the letter can be found below:
Dear Speaker Pelosi, Leader McCarthy, Chairman Neal, Ranking Member Brady, Chairwoman Lowey, and Ranking Member Granger,
As members from districts with major ties to travel and tourism, we are deeply concerned about the communities and businesses that have been devastated by the total shutdown of the tourism economy as restaurants, resorts, retailers, sport facilities, entertainment venues, museums, cultural centers, ports, parks, airports and more have closed or been significantly impacted by the spread of COVID-19.
According to the U.S. Travel Association, an estimated 4.6 million jobs and $355 billion in revenue will be lost this year in the travel and tourism industry. As Congress considers the next phase of our response, it is imperative that we include proposals that will assist these workers and businesses which are vital to our nation’s economy.
One of every ten jobs in this country is tied to the travel and tourism industry. We look forward to working with you on a long-term recovery package that keeps these workers in mind. Together, we must ensure that the workers, their families, and the communities we represent are able to rebound from this crisis. We thank you for your continued leadership.
Sincerely,
Dina Titus Gus M. Bilirakis
Member of Congress Member of Congress
In addion to the co-chairs, letter was signed by Representatives Alan Lowenthal, Alcee L. Hastings, Andre' Carson, Anthony G. Brown, Bennie G. Thompson, Bradley Byrne, Brian Mast, Darren Soto, David N. Cicilline, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, Don Young, Earl L. "Buddy" Carter, Ed Case, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Eliot L. Engel, Francis Rooney, Frederica S. Wilson, Harley Rouda, J. Luis Correa, Jefferson Van Drew, Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, Jimmy Panetta, Joaquin Castro, Joe Cunningham, John Rutherford, Juan Vargas, Kathy Castor, Mark E. Amodei, Mark Pocan, Michael Waltz, Mike Quigley, Peter Welch, Rick Crawford, Rick Larsen, Salud Carbajal, Scott Peters, Stacey E. Plaskett, Stephanie Murphy, Steven Horsford, Steven M. Palazzo, Susie Lee, Ted Deutch, Tom O'Halleran, Tom Rice, Tony Cárdenas, Tulsi Gabbard, Val Butler Demings, and Vicente Gonzalez.
