Letter to the Hon. Ian G. Brownlee, Acting Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Consular Affairs - Bureau of Consular Affairs Failing to Provide Adequate Passport Services

Letter

Dear Acting Assistant Secretary Brownlee,

I write to you today about the concerning state of your department. Ensuring a timely passport application process is essential for Americans traveling for business and pleasure, but the Bureau of Consular Affairs is failing to provide adequate service.

Constituents in my East Tennessee congressional district are growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress on their passport applications. Professional caseworkers in my office are overwhelmed with constituent passport inquiries and are doing their best to accommodate all requests. However, staff at the Department of State are not conveying information in a timely manner. It is unacceptable my staff cannot update constituents regarding the current status of their passport applications. Not only is this a serious problem for my constituents, but also American citizens across the country as they resume their daily lives.

While I understand there are difficulties resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, I encourage you to devote greater time and effort to reducing the massive passport backlog and improving communication with congressional staff. The quicker this issue is resolved, the quicker our economy returns to pre-pandemic levels.

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