House Leaders wary of Obama’s visa waiver changes

Republican house leaders sent a letter on Friday to President Obama regarding the administration’s unilateral changes to the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel and Prevention Act of 2015.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX), House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) and Rep. Candice Miller (R-MI) cosigned the letter.

The letter questions change to the law that now allow certain people who traveled to nations of terrorism-related concern, including Iran, Iraq, Sudan and Syria, to travel to the United States visa-free.

The members warned that the administration’s exemptions for journalists, humanitarian workers and people doing business in certain countries are contrary to the plain language in the law and were expressly rejected by Congress during negotiations with administration officials. The letter also requests that the administration provide detailed information to Congress on the individuals who are granted waivers to come to the U.S. through the visa waiver program.

Additionally, the members called on the president to provide any documentation regarding the legal basis of authority for the president to exempt people from the law.