Congress funnels $160M in visa fees to tourism marketing nonprofit
H.R. 6128 — VISIT USA Act · Filed by Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) · 17 cosponsors · Introduced Nov 19, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill transfers $160 million from the Travel Promotion Fund (money collected from visa fees) directly to Brand USA, a nonprofit corporation that markets U.S. tourism abroad. The transfer bypasses the normal statutory cap on how much can be moved from the fund in a single year, though Brand USA must still match the funds with private donations and follow other existing rules.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is a direct transfer of $160 million in public funds (collected as visa fees) to Brand USA, a private nonprofit corporation engaged in tourism marketing. This is functionally a subsidy to the travel and tourism sector, structured as a one-time appropriation from an existing fee-funded account.
What the text implies
- The $160M transfer bypasses the annual cap on Travel Promotion Fund distributions, setting a precedent for future large transfers and potentially weakening the statutory limit's enforceability.
- Brand USA must match the $160M with private donations under existing rules, but the bill does not specify how Brand USA will source or account for matching funds, creating potential for opaque private-sector influence over U.S. tourism messaging.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
Brand USA (nonprofit tourism marketing corporation); Travel and tourism industry (hotels, airlines, attractions, tour operators); Destination marketing organizations and convention bureaus