Takai Backs Visa Waiver Bill
The Hawaii congressman returned to the office Tuesday after a month away for health reasons.
In a Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to聽restrict visa waivers for travelers, a measure that came in response to the threat of terrorism from overseas.
“The waiver program allows tourists from 38 countries, including the United Kingdom, Spain and France, to stay in the U.S. for up to 90 days without a visa,” . “About 20 million tourists use the program each year.”
Democrats Tulsi Gabbard and Mark Takai voted in favor of the bill.
“In passing this legislation, Congress supports a moderate strategy to tighten the visa waiver program for applicants who have visited countries that are state-sponsors of terrorism and have known ties to ISIL,” said Takai. “I believe that working in a bipartisan fashion to strengthen the security of our nation is the best way to keep us safe at home.
“Our nation must reject urges to broadly categorize refugees and immigrants in the same cast as Islamic extremists. People in Hawaii remember all too clearly the way that our nation reacted to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II, and we must resist repeating past mistakes that we now look back on with shame.”
The U.S. Senate has its own version of a visa waiver bill that it is working on.
Tuesday’s聽vote聽marked Takai’s return to office after a month’s absence due聽to pancreatic cancer.
A聽press release from his office said Takai is back to work “on a limited basis” and that he and his family “continue to ask for privacy” as he begins聽chemotherapy treatments that are expected to last for聽the next several聽months.
鈥淚 want to thank the many people who sent well wishes and prayers my way. Your continued support and good thoughts are appreciated. It has been a pretty difficult few months, but I鈥檓 thankful for all the awesome doctors and nurses who have helped me through this,鈥 Takai said.
