[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 128 (Tuesday, July 25, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H3904]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           TUCSON PASSPORT CENTER AND WESTERN PASSPORT CENTER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Arizona (Mr. Ciscomani) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CISCOMANI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the monumental 
effort happening in my district of the Tucson Passport Center and 
Western Passport Center.
  The employees here are working around the clock--sometimes 7 days a 
week--to help Americans across our country receive their passports 
during an unprecedented surge in demand and clear the backlog of 
applications.
  These men and women are not only helping Americans in a timely 
manner, but they are also coming up with creative and innovative 
solutions so travelers' plans are not disrupted.
  A record one-half million passport applications are being submitted 
every week--every single week--by our friends and our neighbors. 
Families going on vacation, students studying abroad, business 
travelers seeking trade opportunities, whatever the reason, Americans 
are traveling abroad like never before, and they aren't going to get 
very far without a passport.
  The Western Passport Center is seeing upwards of 200 in-person 
emergency and urgent traveler counter appointments per day.
  The Tucson Passport Center has ramped up organizations to print 
80,000 passports per day, working in tandem with their colleagues in 
Arkansas to supply the 29 passport agencies and centers across the 
country.
  Last month alone, Tucson printed 1.1 million passports--eclipsing the 
million they printed the month before.
  I am honored to have these passport centers in Arizona's Sixth 
Congressional District. These individuals are really stepping up on 
behalf of myself, my constituents, and all the people they have helped. 
I thank them for a job well done.

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