Oklahoma Senator Takes Action To Address Growing Passport Backlog

Americans are back traveling in large, pre-pandemic numbers this summer, but unfortunately many of those traveling internationally are discovering that getting a passport can take much longer than expected. 

It’s the result of a worsening backlog and Oklahoma Senator James Lankford is trying to fix it.

Sen. Lankford (R-OK) first began expressing concern about the State Department's passport backlog in 2020, under the previous administration. He said it's steadily gotten worse and that the number of people calling his office with passport issues has quadrupled in the last year.

"We have over 400 cases right now that we’re working in our office," Lankford said in an interview Thursday.

These are Oklahomans who are trying to plan honeymoons, go on mission trips, take family vacations, or just travel for business. "They applied in plenty of time to get a passport, but it’s just never come back to them and so they call us," Lankford said.

Nationwide, passport applications are up about 30 percent this year -- half a million each week, according to the State Department.

At a hearing in March, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Congress he was aware of the problem and was addressing it.

"We're really digging in on this," Blinken testified, "we're authorizing overtime, we've opened satellite offices."

But it hasn't been enough, Lankford said. While the government said processing time for passports is currently 10-13 weeks, Lankford said it's actually between 15 and 18 weeks. Legislation he co-sponsored last month would mandate change.

"So, the bill would make sure it never takes longer than 12 [weeks]," Lankford explained, "that there’s the ability for State Department employees to work in a surge capacity, so that if they get behind, they can move other people over. And that there’s some transparency of tracking your passport. Right now, if you renew your passport, you mail it in [and] you have no idea when it’s coming back to you, where it is in the process."

Lankford emphasizes he's working in cooperation with the State Department, trying to help them get caught up

"But the government has got to do its job," he said, "this is one of those basic functions of government."

Lankford is optimistic about the bill’s chances. He said it seems likely it will be inserted into the National Defense Authorization Act, which, for the past 63 years, has been a sure bet for passage.