Issa Pressures State Department on Passport Backlog

Washington — Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-48) sent a letter last week to Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Rena Bitter to take necessary steps to resolve the State Department's unprecedented passport backlog. Issa’s letter comes in response to last week's House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability's hearing entitled "Examining the Fiscal Year 24 Bureau of Consular Affairs Budget," where Assistant Secretary Bitter testified on the matter. 

Currently, the State Department’s passport processing system is forcing millions of Americans to endure a processing backlog of 13 weeks – a clearly unacceptable wait time for travelers going to a foreign country.

Issa's letter specifically pointed out that the State Department has failed to do its job: “The State Department’s inability to surge to address increased volume is a failure. The backlog is particularly frustrating when it comes to renewals given the reduced work that must go into an update versus a first issuance."

The Congressman also said “The State Department must restore public confidence that it can provide what it is supposed to do for every American citizen rather than continuing to offer excuses and delays for a problem that it has not fixed and made much worse.”

Read the full letter here:

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