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    Letter To Blinken Re Passports

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    Republican members of the House Oversight Committee wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken to request information about delays in passport services due to a large backlog. Travel is a major part of the US economy and many Americans are eager to travel after pandemic restrictions. However, passport processing times have increased significantly, with routine applications taking 18 weeks instead of the usual 12 weeks. The letter requests details on passport processing, current application numbers and backlogs, staffing levels, and plans to address the delays.

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    Letter To Blinken Re Passports

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    27K views3 pages
    Republican members of the House Oversight Committee wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken to request information about delays in passport services due to a large backlog. Travel is a major part of the US economy and many Americans are eager to travel after pandemic restrictions. However, passport processing times have increased significantly, with routine applications taking 18 weeks instead of the usual 12 weeks. The letter requests details on passport processing, current application numbers and backlogs, staffing levels, and plans to address the delays.

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    House Oversight Republicans write Secretary of State Blinken for answers on passport delays.

    Original Title

    Letter to Blinken Re Passports

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    Republican members of the House Oversight Committee wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken to request information about delays in passport services due to a large backlog. Travel is a major part of the US economy and many Americans are eager to travel after pandemic restrictions. However, passport processing times have increased significantly, with routine applications taking 18 weeks instead of the usual 12 weeks. The letter requests details on passport processing, current application numbers and backlogs, staffing levels, and plans to address the delays.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    Download as pdf or txt
    27K views3 pages

    Letter To Blinken Re Passports

    Uploaded by

    Fox News
    Republican members of the House Oversight Committee wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken to request information about delays in passport services due to a large backlog. Travel is a major part of the US economy and many Americans are eager to travel after pandemic restrictions. However, passport processing times have increased significantly, with routine applications taking 18 weeks instead of the usual 12 weeks. The letter requests details on passport processing, current application numbers and backlogs, staffing levels, and plans to address the delays.

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    of 3

    July 28, 2021

    The Honorable Antony J. Blinken


    Secretary
    U.S. Department of State
    2201 C Street Northwest
    Washington, D.C. 20520

    Dear Secretary Blinken:

    Republicans on the House Oversight and Reform Committee are writing to request
    information about the delay in passport services offered by the State Department. Travel and
    tourism are essential parts of the U.S. economy and responsible for more than 10 percent of
    global GDP as well as 320 million jobs. The airline industry was among the hardest hit during
    the pandemic, and reigniting the travel industry is key to the economic recovery in the U.S.
    Many Americans are excited to travel internationally after more than a year of travel
    restrictions.1

    Despite the relaxed COVID-19 travel restrictions, U.S. citizens are encountering
    protracted delays when applying for or renewing their passports.2 The State Department’s
    website currently says that routine passport service can take up to 18 weeks (including mailing
    time).3 Routine passport service took up to 12 weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic began.4
    Expedited passport processing is also delayed—now taking up to 12 weeks instead of four to six
    weeks.5

    1
    Adam Behsudi, Wish you were here, INTERNAT’L MONETARY FUND (Winter 2020),
    https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2020/12/impact-of-the-pandemic-on-tourism-behsudi.htm
    2
    Larry Bleiberg, Don’t Wait to Renew Your Passport, AARP (Jun. 9, 2021), https://www.aarp.org/travel/travel-
    tips/international/info-2021/passport-renewal-delays.html.
    3
    Passport Operations in response to COVID-19, U.S. DEP’T OF STATE,
    https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/ea/passport-covid-19.html (last visited Jul. 23, 2021).
    4
    Carol Morello, U.S. passport processing resumes as centers first tackle a coronavirus backlog, THE WASH. POST
    (Jun. 12, 2020), https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/us-passport-processing-resumes-as-centers-first-
    tackle-a-coronavirus-backlog/2020/06/12/34b2caf8-acc6-11ea-868b-93d63cd833b2_story.html; Passport
    Operations in response to COVID-19, U.S. DEP’T OF STATE,
    https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/ea/passport-covid-19.html (last visited Jul. 23, 2021).
    5
    Id.
    Hon. Antony Blinken
    Page 2
    July 28, 2021

    It was reported last June that about half of the State Department’s passport workers had
    returned to their offices.6 More than a year later the State Department has been unable to catch
    up with the demand and it appears the backlog is continuing to grow.7 Many Americans are
    being forced to cancel travel plans to see family and friends because despite trying to plan ahead,
    they are unable to renew or obtain a passport.8

    In order to help the Committee better understand the scope and causes of the passport
    backlog, please provide the following documents and information no later than August 11, 2021:

    1. A detailed explanation of the process the State Department goes through once the agency
    receives a passport application.

    2. The number of applications and renewals currently pending and contributing to this
    backlog.

    3. The average number of passport and renewal applications received each day.

    4. The number of passport workers the State Department currently employs, and the
    percentage of passport workers currently in the office.

    5. The plans and procedures which outline when all passport workers will be required to be
    back into the office.

    6. Whether the State Department plans on hiring more staff to help work through the
    backlog?

    In addition, please make arrangements to schedule a briefing no later than August 4, 2021
    on the State Department’s plan to reduce the backlog and begin issuing passports in a timely
    fashion. To schedule the briefing or ask any follow-up or related questions, please contact the
    Committee on Oversight and Reform Republican staff at (202) 225-5074.

    The Committee on Oversight and Reform is the principal oversight committee of the U.S.
    House of Representatives and has broad authority to investigate “any matter” at “any time” under
    House Rule X. Thank you in advance for cooperating with this inquiry.

    6
    Carol Morello, U.S. passport processing resumes as centers first tackle a coronavirus backlog, THE WASH. POST
    (Jun. 12, 2020), https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/us-passport-processing-resumes-as-centers-first-
    tackle-a-coronavirus-backlog/2020/06/12/34b2caf8-acc6-11ea-868b-93d63cd833b2_story.html
    7
    Larry Bleiberg, Don’t Wait to Renew Your Passport, AARP (Jun. 9, 2021), https://www.aarp.org/travel/travel-
    tips/international/info-2021/passport-renewal-delays.html.
    8
    Amy Davis, Major passport delays cause travel troubles, KPRC 2 HOUSTON, (July 5, 2021),
    https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2021/07/05/major-passport-delays-cause-travel-troubles/
    Hon. Antony Blinken
    Page 3
    July 28, 2021

    Sincerely,

    ________________________________ ________________________________
    Michael Cloud Fred Keller
    Ranking Member Member of Congress
    Subcommittee on Economic and
    Consumer Policy

    ________________________________ ________________________________
    Scott Franklin Andrew Clyde
    Member of Congress Member of Congress

    ________________________________
    Byron Donalds
    Member of Congress

    cc: The Honorable Raja Krishnamoorthi, Chairman


    Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy

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