Friends,

I hope you’re doing well. I wanted to reach out and update you on some work I’ve been doing around passport delays.

Over the past couple of weeks, you may have heard about the tremendous backlog in passport processing times. Virginians are waiting twice or three times as long as usual to have their passport renewed. It’s ruining vacations and putting undue stress on many.

While I have a team in my office dedicated to helping Virginians navigate these delays, I also want to address this systemically so these issues stop happening in the first place. I anticipated these issues earlier this year, and sent a letter to the Secretary of State asking what precautions and plans were being put in place to prepare for the summer surge of applications. Despite my warning, issues have persisted, and I have continued pushing for answers. So last week, I stopped at an office that processes passports for Virginians and met with State Department leadership to discuss solutions to address the backlog.

I left with a long list of ideas for how processing centers could increase their capacity, and I’m ready to keep pushing for progress until these delays improve. I’m advocating for the State Department to hire more staff, particularly the most critically needed IT personnel, and increase the expedited processing fees to help pay for it.

While we wait for more systemic changes, I encourage you to be proactive if you’re planning international travel. Check your passport and the entry requirements of the country you want to travel to before you book your flights. Give yourself plenty of time if you need a renewal. If you’re in an emergency situation, I encourage you to reach out to my team, who may be able to help. I will absolutely be staying on top of this until this backlog is dealt with.

Sincerely,