U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., weighed in this week after the White House announced that Israel would be part of the Visa Waiver Program.
“The Visa Waiver Program 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,” Scott’s office noted.
Scott and Rosen have been working on the matter since 2021. At the end of last year, Scott and Rosen led a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas to request Israel be included in the program. More than a dozen other U.S. senators signed the letter, including U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
“Today’s announcement of Israel’s admittance into the Visa Waiver Program is great news and the product of months of strong, bipartisan support for Israel in Congress. I have been proud to work alongside Senator Jacky Rosen to urge the Department of State and Department of Homeland Security to take this action, which further strengthens the bond between the United States and our great ally, Israel, through increased tourism and business travel. Every step toward increased partnership between the American and Israeli people only reinforces the special relationship between our nations. I look forward to seeing the positive cultural and economic outcomes this development will bring,” Scott said.
“Israel is one of America’s closest allies and an important trading partner. By adding Israel to the Visa Waiver Program, we’ll strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship and help increase tourism and business travel to the United States. I was proud to lead the bipartisan push to get this done, and I’ll continue working across the aisle to strengthen ties between our two nations,” said Rosen.
