Sanders Calls on Congress to Hold Field Hearings in Northern Border States on the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative

Sanders Calls on Congress to Hold Field Hearings in Northern Border States on the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative

Congressman Bernie Sanders (I-VT) today called on Congress to hold field hearings in northern border states on the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). Sanders was joined by 16 bipartisan cosigners in requesting the hearings in a letter authored by Sanders to Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner, Jr. and Ranking Member John Conyers. The WHTI will require everyone crossing the U.S.-Canadian border, including all American citizens, to have either a passport or a Pass Card as of January 1, 2008. With passports costing $97 and the proposed Pass Card estimated at $55 the plan could become prohibitively expensive for many families and have a significant impact on the economies of northern border states. The Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce also expressed concern about with the negative impact WHTI will have.

Sanders said, "American-Canadian border crossings account for $1.2 billion a day in trade, which supports 5.2 million jobs, including 12,000 jobs in Vermont. More than 29 million people cross the northern border each year for tourism or shopping alone. This cross border commerce has an enormous impact on Vermont's economy and job creation. It is critical that all Vermonters, including our local businesses and chambers of commerce have the opportunity to express their views on WHTI so it can be improved to protect our local economy and reduce the economic burden on Vermonters."

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http://bernie.house.gov/documents/document.asp?issueNum=4969