AdWeek: Hotlines: Congress Slashes Commerce Dept.'s Tourism Ad Budget

The $50 million apportioned last summer to promote the U.S. as a tourist destination for the first time was cut by $40 million this week in a new appropriations bill. The ad budget may be cut entirely from the Department of Commerce.

This would prevent the launch of new creative, such as a "Come and Get Your Free Fingerprinting and Retinal Scan" campaign and sister efforts, some perhaps with the tagline "Don't Mind that F-14a Off Your Port Stern; It's Here to Welcome You."