Brand USA’s federal matching funds cut with passage of Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful’ bill

With the passage of Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful’ bill by the U.S. Congress this afternoon (July 3), Brand USA will see its federal matching funds cut from $100 million to $20 million.

In a statement issued following the bill’s passage, Brand USA’s President and CEO, Fred Dixon said: “While we are disappointed with the reduction from $100 million to $20 million in federal matching funds in Congress’ budget reconciliation bill, Brand USA remains committed to our mission and looks forward to opportunities for funding restoration in the future.”

Dixon continued: “In the meantime, we remain fully engaged and in deep dialogue with every level of the administration. We take confidence in the President’s request for Brand USA’s full funding in FY26 and look forward to Congress taking up those appropriations later this fall.”

However, he made it clear that: “The current reduction will require a significant recalibration of our resources and programming that is still to be determined. But we remain focused on growing legitimate international inbound travel and the vital boost it provides to the U.S. economy, especially with major global events on the immediate horizon like America250 and the FIFA World Cup.”

And Dixon concluded: “We thank the industry for their unwavering support of Brand USA throughout this entire process.”