One of the most important issues the new Congress will need to address is how to revise the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). During President Bush's visit to the Baltic countries, in late November 2006, he announced the administration's intention to seek a limited expansion of the VWP, providing new entrants accept measures yielding what Michael Chertoff, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has termed a "net increase in security." A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators recently introduced the Secure Travel and Counterterrorism Partnership Act of 2007 to achieve this objective. On Feb. 15, the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committtee unanimously incorporated its provisions into Senate bill S. 4, the "Improving America's Security by Implementing Unfinished Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007." The VWP currently permits the citizens of 27 countries, mostly in Europe and Asia, to enter the United States for purposes of tourism or business (but not employment or formal study) for as long as 90 days without obtaining a visa. The Congress established the VWP in 1986 to eliminate unnecessary travel barriers, stimulate tourism, fortify relations with friendly countries, and save the government money by allowing State Department consular officers to focus attention on nationals from higher-risk visa applicant pools. Many of these goals have been accomplished.
Reducing Visa-Related Tensions With Foreign Nations
