A group of bipartisan senators delivered a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg demanding explanations for why his department has failed to produce an updated strategy for tourism infrastructure before a deadline in Congress.
The lawmakers are spearheaded by Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and is comprised of Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) and Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MT).
The letter Tuesday requests that Buttigieg supply an updated timeline of when the senators can expect the new strategy, and sufficient exposition as to why the Department of Transportation has been significantly delayed. In the letter, the lawmakers detailed the importance of tourism to their states’ economies, stating, “The travel and tourism industry is the cornerstone of many of our states’ economies, responsible for millions of good-paying jobs across a number of industries.”
They urged the former mayor of South Bend to act with expediency and do their best to convey how critical the National Travel and Tourism Infrastructure Strategic Plan is to their individual states.
“It is imperative that DOT promptly update and release the National Travel and Tourism Infrastructure Strategic Plan in order to meet the needs of the travel and tourism industry and the requirements that Congress directed in enacted law,” the senators wrote.
The strategy itself is intended to assess the United States transportation network and provide plans on how to improve this infrastructure in direct relation to tourism and long-haul passenger transportation. Additionally, the plan will provide a forecast of tourism volume for the next two decades.
The previous iteration of the DOT’s strategy was published on the last day of then-President Trump’s administration in January of 2021 after missing the initial 2018 deadline mandated by Congress.
Since then, the controversial $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal was passed with the provision that the Transportation Department provides an updated document detailing the state of tourism in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The senators are understandably concerned about the state of travel and tourism in their home states as the coronavirus had a serious impact on those industries. According to the United States Census Bureau, Nevada and Minnesota showed a decline in travel industry employment by over 15% and 20%, respectively, from 2019 to 2020.
Just before the initial May deadline, Buttigieg testified he was waiting on the Commerce Department to deliver their tourism strategy before he released his department’s. However, the Commerce Department released its plan in June and the six senators have yet to receive an updated strategy from Buttigieg’s department.
It’s been 300+ days since we enacted the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which included my bill requiring @USDOT to create a National Travel & Tourism Infrastructure Strategic Plan within 180 days.
I’m leading a bipartisan group to press @USDOT to finally move this plan forward. https://t.co/EV3FI6ynbp
— Senator Jacky Rosen (@SenJackyRosen) September 28, 2022
“Unfortunately, while it has now been well over 300 days since the [bipartisan infrastructure law] was signed into law, and more than 100 days since the Department of Commerce released its National Travel and Tourism Strategy, we have not yet seen an updated National Travel and Tourism Infrastructure Strategic Plan from DOT,” the group of lawmakers wrote in the letter to Buttigieg.
It has now been the better part of a year since the infrastructure deal was passed, and one hundred days since the Commerce Department released its strategy. Buttigieg famously was on parental leave during Biden’s supply chain crisis so perhaps his lack of urgency now should come as no surprise.
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