Senator Schmitt Demands Answers from Secretary of State Antony Blinken Over Department’s Passport Processing Backlog

WASHINGTON – Today, Senator Schmitt sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken regarding the State Department’s inefficient processing of passports, and demanding answers for the Department’s failure to alleviate the backlog.

“Americans should expect the government to work for them, not dodge and ignore them. This passport situation unfolding at the State Department is absolutely unacceptable. Missourians shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to simply renew a government issued form of identification. I will continue to demand answers from the Biden Administration and ensure that Missourians aren’t further subjected to this bureaucratic incompetence,” said Senator Eric Schmitt.

Background

• In only the first three months of tenure, nearly half of casework correspondence from Senator Schmitt’s office has been passport and Department of State related issues.
• On numerous occasions, Missourians have reported phone calls are not answered, voicemails are not returned, and in-person appointments are unavailable. 
• Examples of the State Department’s lackluster performance include:
  • One Missourian canceled his flight after waiting seven weeks with no response from DOS on an expedited passport renewal – a process that should normally take three to five weeks. 
  • Calls to the New Orleans Passport Agency by staff of Senator Schmitt were ignored while attempting to assist a Missourian.
  • A passport arrived nine weeks after original application date, while DOS advertised the process would take five to six weeks.
• Read the letter from Senator Schmitt below.

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