American travelers can take a small victory lap: the Henley Passport Index shows the U.S. has clawed its way back into the Top 10 of the world’s most powerful passports. That’s welcome news for families and businesspeople who rely on global mobility, but the headline masks a worrying trend that elected leaders in Washington need to answer for.
According to Henley’s January 13, 2026 update, U.S. passport holders can now travel to 179 destinations without a prior visa — but that recovery comes after Americans lost visa-free access to seven countries over the last year. These are not abstract numbers; they represent real restrictions placed on hardworking Americans who travel for business, study, and family reasons.
How did this happen? Henley and other reporting make clear reciprocity and diplomatic choices are at the heart of the slide: nations like Brazil, China, and Vietnam have left U.S. travelers off expanded visa-free lists, and policy choices in late 2025 pushed the passport temporarily out of the Top 10. This is the predictable cost of a Washington that talks tough about American interests but fails to negotiate or demand mutual treatment.
Worse still, the United States is stingy about who can come here: the Henley Openness Index shows the U.S. allows only 46 nationalities visa-free, ranking far down the list and exposing a glaring asymmetry between how freely Americans can leave and how much America welcomes visitors. That gap is not just embarrassing — it hands leverage to rivals who use openness as a tool of influence while we look inward.
Conservative common sense is right about what must change. We should demand real reciprocity: if countries restrict Americans, our diplomats should press for equal access, and the White House should make visa privileges a clear lever in trade and security talks. At the same time, border security must be firm so our government negotiators are bargaining from strength, not weakness.
Washington’s patchwork of travel bans, proposals for intrusive data collection, and sudden policy swings only reinforce the message that American soft power is being undermined by our own decisions. Hardworking Americans deserve a passport that reflects our country’s strength and values — not one that rises or falls based on political posturing in Washington.
If conservatives want to lead, this is a clear issue to champion: restore reciprocity, negotiate smartly, and secure the border without surrendering our freedoms. The Henley numbers should be a wake-up call to voters and officials alike — protect American mobility, and you protect American influence.
