Gem State Wire

Washington, D.C.--U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) joined U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R-Florida) and 12 additional colleagues in sending a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging him to take immediate action to resolve the massive backlog of passport applications.  In the letter, the Senators note countless reports from Americans in their states regarding issues and concerns with delayed wait times, lack of available in-person appointments and an inability to communicate with passport agencies.

“. . . [W]e have heard countless reports from constituents in our states about the massive backlogs in processing passport applications,” the letter reads.  “While we appreciate the hard work of Passport Agency employees across the nation, this backlog and the unresponsiveness to many passport inquiries is unacceptable.”

“. . . [T]he strategies put in place to address this unprecedented demand appear to need additional attention,” the letter continues.

Over the last six weeks, Senator Crapo’s office has processed more than 50 casework matters for passport-related requests.  These requests have accounted for a third of the total casework matters across all federal government agencies.  Idahoans needing help with passport processing--or other federal agencies--can continue to contact Senator Crapo’s casework team using the form on his website: https://www.crapo.senate.gov/services/help-with-federal-agencies

“Thanks to Senator Crapo and his team, my family and I can accompany my mother on an unforgettable trip following her cancer diagnosis earlier this year,” said Kendall Lincoln, from Eagle.*  “This will give all of us cherished memories that will last our lifetimes.  We hope others in our situation are not restricted from life-altering opportunities because of processing delays.”

“Thanks to Senator Crapo and his team for helping my son with obtaining his passport in time for an overdue family vacation.  Due to delays at the passport facility where my son’s case was originally assigned, he had to travel to Seattle for a same day appointment,” said Cindy Haney, from Pocatello.*  “We greatly appreciate the efforts made by the staff at the Seattle Passport Agency for the prompt handling of his case, but hope that other Idahoans are not put into this costly predicament.”

Full text of the letter is available HERE.

Additional signatories of the letter include Senators Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming), Katie Britt (R-Alabama), Ted Budd (R-North Carolina), Marco Rubio (R-Florida), Bill Hagerty (R-Tennessee), JD Vance (R-Ohio), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska).

*NOTE: Senator Crapo’s office handles all casework matters with the utmost care and dedication to privacy and confidentiality.  The constituents named in this release have given explicit permission to share their stories publicly.

Original source can be found here.