The State Department plans to reduce processing times to six to eight weeks for routine service and two to three weeks for expedited service.
Millions of Americans may be unable to go ahead with their scheduled summer travels due to a backlog of passport applications, causing a months-long wait for many to renew their expired passports.
“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,” Republican Senator Eric Schmitt said in a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The State Department, which is responsible for issuing and renewing passports for Americans, said the backlogs are due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and it is only recovering from the disruption as it faces a record of pending applications.
“We’re throwing everything we can at this, trying to make sure that people have those blue books, that they’re able to travel,” Mr Blinken said at a news press conference last month.
He added, “It’s something that comes up repeatedly with members of Congress, with folks that I come across.”
According to The New York Times, the State Department is expected to issue 25 million passports this year, an increase from last year’s 22 million as it continues to 430,000 applications a week.
The State Department said its goal was to reduce processing times to six to eight weeks for routine service and two to three weeks for expedited service.
