[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 130 (Thursday, July 27, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H4039-H4040]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1045
                       ADDRESSING PASSPORT DELAYS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. Auchincloss) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. AUCHINCLOSS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to the 
extended processing times for passports, global entry applications, and 
tax returns.
  On average, Americans are waiting 2 to 4 months for passport renewals 
and 4 to 6 months for global entry appointments. Many are waiting even 
longer.

[[Page H4040]]

  There are also 2.6 million Americans still waiting on their 2023 tax 
refunds while facing hours-long wait times when calling the IRS.
  Since the start of this year alone, my office has assisted with more 
than 500 passport requests, nearly triple the number we assisted with 
all of last year. These numbers are unacceptable. This backlog 
exacerbates American citizens' frustration with Federal institutions 
and undermines their trust in our government's ability to serve them 
effectively.
  This is not the fault of our Federal workers. They are working 
tirelessly, including nights and weekends, to improve these delays, but 
they don't have the resources and bandwidth that they need.
  Now, House Republicans have proposed funding cuts to the IRS and the 
State Department that would only worsen these delays and the backlog, 
inhibiting Americans from accessing these essential services. Congress 
must reject these cuts and, instead, support these agencies with 
increased staffing and reliable funding.

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