WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Rick Scott (R-FL) led a bipartisan group of 65 Senate colleagues in a letter urging the Biden Administration to include Israel in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). The Senators asked the Department of State and Department of Homeland Security to prioritize finalizing Israel’s accession into the VWP this year, which allows individuals from participating countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa. First created in 1986, the program now has 40 enrolled countries.
“We write to express our support for efforts to include Israel in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) and to encourage both the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security to prioritize finalizing Israel’s accession this year,” wrote the Senators. “Approximately 450,000 Israelis travel annually to the U.S., and that number has been increasing each year. With 93 weekly direct flights from Israel to U.S. airports, there is already significant demand for travel. As such, Israel’s participation in VWP would significantly increase the potential for both tourism and business travel.”
The full letter can be found here.
Senator Rosen has been a strong supporter of the U.S.-Israel alliance and continues to find ways to strengthen this strategic relationship. Recently, Senator Rosen helped introduce the bipartisan U.S.-Israel Future of Warfare Act to increase U.S. defense collaboration with Israel in areas of emerging technologies. She also joined a letter calling on Senate appropriators to fully fund the U.S.-Israel cooperative missile defense program. Last Congress, Senator Rosen also helped introduce and pass the Deterring Enemy Forces and Enabling National Defenses (DEFEND) Act, which requires the Department of Defense to develop a strategy to establish an air and missile defense architecture with Israel and other Middle East allies to defend against Iranian aggression. In December 2021, she and Scott led a similar letter in support of including Israel in the Visa Waiver Program.
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