Following President Obama's State of the Union message Wednesday night and in anticipation of his announcement today to award $8 billion in stimulus funds for development of light-rail corridors around the country, Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, issued the following statement:
As one of the largest employers in the country, the travel industry applauds President Obama's focus on job growth during these challenging times. The $8 billion in grants for high-speed trains will increase transportation options for travelers in many regions of the country and help spur new jobs across the U.S. The end result will be more employment and a more sophisticated, diversified transportation system.
The President can also help stimulate the economy and create tens of thousands of jobs by focusing the Senate's attention on final passage of the Travel Promotion Act. This bipartisan legislation is awaiting action by the Senate and would launch the first-ever U.S. promotion and communications program aimed at international travelers, at no cost to U.S. taxpayers. The Travel Promotion Act would generate an estimated 40,000 new jobs and reduce the federal deficit by $425 million over the next 10 years.
We will continue to work with the Administration and Congress to help them to better understand the enormous opportunity travel provides to stimulate the economy and create jobs.
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