Washington: The visa issuing system of the US Government came under some light hearted but serious attack at the House Committee on Foreign Affairs when a senior Democratic lawmaker told the Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that the system currently in place has to be taken a fresh look.

Rice was at the House Panel defending the State Department's Budget allocation of US$ 36 billions plus for foreign operations and assistance when Congressman Brad Sherman of California brought up the visa issue.

"The failure of the Federal Government to keep track of this shows that the Federal Government is in a worse position than Disneyland. They know when you buy the ticket, then they scan you when you leave  whereas very few people illegally stay in Disneyland permanently," he remarked to laughter in the room.

"Five million people are here in the United States because somebody gave them a visa expecting them to leave on time and they never left. And at the same time, millions of people are denied entry into the United States and we need them in Disneyland, because we need the tourists," the California lawmaker pointed out.

The visa issuing system has come under strong criticism from many quarters with one of the complaints being that denial of visas to genuine tourists and businessmen are indeed hurting the American economy by way of lost revenues over and beyond the tourism industry.