[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 1233]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          VISA WAIVER PROGRAM

  (Ms. BERKLEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, with the highest unemployment rate in the 
Nation, Nevadans are struggling. That's why we in Washington should be 
focusing on creating good-paying, middle class jobs. Unfortunately, 
Washington Republicans are focused on a divisive, ideological agenda.
  Our jobs crisis cannot be fixed by restricting access to mammograms 
for women. It's not going to be fixed by killing Medicare, by turning 
it over to private insurance companies. And it cannot be fixed by 
protecting taxpayer giveaways to Big Oil companies.
  Our jobs crisis can be fixed by getting real about job creation. We 
can do that right now by passing legislation expanding our Visa Waiver 
Program, which allows tourists from certain countries up to 90 days of 
visa-free travel in the U.S.
  In 2010, nearly 18 million people visited our country due to this 
program. What will happen if we expand it? The answer for tourism-
dependent States like Nevada is simple: it will put people back to 
work.
  I urge my Republican colleagues in the House and the Senate to drop 
their ideological agenda and join me in making job creation our top 
priority.

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