Pelican State News

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Rick Scott (R-FL), and 12 Republican colleagues urged U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to take immediate action to resolve the massive backlog of passport applications in a letter to the U.S. Department of State.

“Since January 2023, our offices have observed a massive increase in passport related inquiries from our constituents. We understand that the Department of State is experiencing an unprecedented number of passport applications and renewals, but the strategies put in place to address this unprecedented demand appear to need additional attention,” wrote the senators.  

“These backlogs have resulted in many American families being forced to cancel their travel plans because of increased wait times, a lack of available in-person appointments and an inability to communicate with passport agencies. Furthermore, the delay many Americans are experiencing in receiving their passport could potentially be detrimental to their livelihood,” continued the senators. 

Cassidy and Scott were joined by U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX), Mike Crapo (R-ID), John Barrasso (R-WY), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Katie Britt (R-AL), Ted Budd (R-NC), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), JD Vance (R-OH), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and Deb Fischer (R-NE) in signing the letter.

Read the full letter here or below:  

Dear Secretary Blinken:

As summer begins and families across the nation are finalizing their travel plans, we have heard countless reports from constituents in our states about the massive backlogs in processing passport applications. While we appreciate the hard work of Passport Agency employees across the nation, this backlog and the unresponsiveness to many passport inquiries is unacceptable. 

Since January 2023, our offices have observed a massive increase in passport related inquiries from our constituents. We understand that the Department of State is experiencing an unprecedented number of passport applications and renewals, but the strategies put in place to address this unprecedented demand appear to need additional attention.

These backlogs have resulted in many American families being forced to cancel their travel plans because of increased wait times, a lack of available in-person appointments and an inability to communicate with passport agencies. Furthermore, the delay many Americans are experiencing in receiving their passport could potentially be detrimental to their livelihood.

The Department of State must address these issues promptly to remedy the situation. As our offices continue to work each and every day to assist constituents with their passport needs, we are requesting answers to the following questions:

1. What measures are being taken to decrease processing and wait times?
2. How does the Department plan to resolve the communications issues?
3. How does the Department plan to permanently resolve these issues to avoid backlog in the future?

Families across the nation are dependent on a quick and efficient solution to the many issues and delays the Passport Agencies are experiencing. We look forward to hearing your solutions to this ongoing issue. 

Original source can be found here