Cortez Masto Joins Bipartisan Visit USA ACT to Restore Brand USA Funding, Promote U.S. Tourism

Washington, D.C. –U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) cosponsored bipartisan legislation to restore full funding for Brand USA, a critical program that helps drive international tourism, after the Republican tax law slashed the program’s funding by 80 percent. Amid a national tourism decline, Brand USA’s public-private partnership model is essential for promoting America as a premier destination and clearly communicating U.S. entry policies abroad.
TheVital Investment in Sustaining International Tourism to the USA (VISIT USA) Act, led by Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) will fully restore Brand USA’s funding in Fiscal Years 2026 and 2027. The chaotic policies of the Trump Administration –  including newfees on foreign visitorsat national parks,detention of tourists, andincreasingly hostile rhetoric to American allies– have caused a decline in tourism in thecountry as a wholeand inNevada. Passage of theVISIT USA Actwould help to revitalize the American tourism industry ahead of events like the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympic games.
“Las Vegas is an internationally renowned travel destination, and tourism drives the Nevada economy, supporting good-paying, union jobs,”said Senator Cortez Masto.“Unfortunately, President Trump’s reckless policies have created chaos in our travel industry. That’s why I am supporting theVISIT USA Actto bolster promotion of Nevada as a tourism destination.”
TheVISIT USA Actis endorsed by the U.S. Travel Association. Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.-09) and Kathy Castor (R-Fla.-11) have introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives.
Senator Cortez Masto is a fierce advocate for Nevada’s tourism economy, fighting for transparency and working to support the state through the current economic chaos. On multiple occasions throughout 2025, the Senatorraised concernsand demanded the Trump Administration consider and reverse their detrimental policies and make constructive plans for strengthening travel and tourism in the U.S. Overall, Cortez Masto is seeking economic analysis from the Trump Administration and Congress on the impacts of reduced tourism to the economy nationwide. In September, shehosteda press conference with the Culinary Union to call out Trump Administration policies that are slowing travel and tourism in Nevada. She has led legislation tobolsterNevada’s legal sports betting industry, removetariffson key goods, and ensure that the no taxes on tips policybest servesNevada workers. She was also been the Senate leader in passing the original seven-yearreauthorizationof Brand USA before the Trump administration stripped its funding.
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