Originally Posted by
bp888
Two very telling comments:
The department says an expedited passport, which costs an extra $60 and now accounts for about 50% of new applications, takes two to three weeks.
Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., says her office is assisting with about 30 to 40 passport applications a day, up from one to three a month a year ago.
That's at least 600 passport application inquiries to ONE rep in a month. Absurd that that is what it takes.
It took me 13 weeks to get my passport (I had applied when they said there was a six week lead time). The call center told me three times that they were expediting the application and I would get it, but it wasn't until I called the State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs that my passport arrived. (PM me for contact info if you need it.)
I don't really blame State for this, but they do share the responsibility for fixing this problem.