The State Department is still dealing with a major backlog of passport applications and higher-than-average wait times this August as Americans travel in larger numbers post-pandemic.
The record-breaking number of passports this year has put massive pressure on Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken to alleviate the crisis.
However, instead of a major foreign policy crisis, the issue involves an unwieldy bureaucracy of which Mr. Blinken is in charge.
The massive backlog of applications at the height of the peak summer travel season is causing anguish for millions of Americans who are attempting to get or renew their U.S. passports.
Travelers Stranded Due to Passport Application Delays
Many surprised travelers have found that it will take months to renew their passports, forcing many to race against the clock, while dealing with a maze of paperwork, or cancel their planned vacations.Some of those who planned to travel in August discovered that it was too late to obtain or renew their passports in time to leave the country.
At least 430,000 passport applications are being processed a week, down from a peak of 560,000 per week in March.
The department is on track to issue 25 million passports in 2023, an increase from last year’s 22 million.
State Department Goes on Emergency Hiring Spree
The Bureau of Consular Affairs is attempting to hire hundreds of additional passport processors, but new applicants are being held up by the lengthy federal hiring process, which is complicated by the need to pass security checks to handle sensitive personal documents.The bureau has only hired 177 new passport adjudicators this year, an increase of 10 percent, and intends to expand its workforce by an additional 10 percent.
The State Department has also formed “surge teams” of volunteers, including retirees and new hires, to process passports before reporting to other assignments.
Foggy Bottom has further plans to fully launch its online passport renewal platform by the end of 2023, or early 2024, after testing the platform in late 2022 and in February this year.
Americans who need passports in a dire emergency can get one faster, with an in-person appointment, rather than relying on the traditional mail-in process, but elevated demand has made that option harder to secure.
The backlog is also causing exhaustion for passport service employees, National Federation of Federal Employees Local 1998 President Lee Wentz, told the Federal News Network.
“We’re all here doing what we can to help everybody. And if we were on the other side of the coin … I’d be frustrated too,” he said.
We all totally get that, we totally understand it. But at the same time, from the employee standpoint, we’re doing everything we can to help everybody,” Mr. Wentz said.
‘Struggling’
Millions of angry Americans have also been ringing the offices of their congressional representatives for help with expediting their applications.“Constituents are reporting that they are placed on hold by passport offices for hours before calls inexplicably drop,” said Utah’s congressional delegation in a letter, adding that those "who do get through are being given incorrect information over the phone, such as being told they cannot upgrade to overnight shipping or expedited services.”
Lawmakers have sent several letters to the State Department about the backlog and have introduced bills to remedy the situation.
However, Mr. Warner said that the State Department was not all at fault, saying it had been hit by a “perfect storm of events” due to the travel lull caused by the pandemic and is now trying to keep up with the surge of renewals.
Under Fire for Application Backlog
Republicans, in contrast, have blamed Mr. Blinken for neglecting the problem, rather than blaming structural or staffing problems.In a letter to the secretary, Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), made a mocking reference to the World Economic Forum in Davos, which Mr. Blinken has regularly attended.
“While running a competent passport application process may not make a panel at Davos, this is an important function of the federal government that directly affects the lives and plans of millions of Americans,” he wrote.
Mr. Blinken announced at a July news conference, that his department was “throwing everything we can at this, trying to make sure that people have those blue books, that they’re able to travel.”
“It’s something that comes up repeatedly with members of Congress, with folks that I come across,” he said.
In a symbolic visit, Mr. Blinken paid a visit the previous month to the largest passport processing office in New York City.
“I saw the operation firsthand and saw people working overtime, double time, triple time to get blue books into people’s hands,” he said. “We’re trying to do our best at getting people their passports.”
