New York Post: NY House GOP pressuring State Department to unclog ‘completely unacceptable’ US passport backlog

House Republicans are pressuring the State Department to clean up massive passport delays forcing New Yorkers to miss important trips — like their honeymoons — and costing thousands of dollars. 

So grim is the outlook that U.S. officials aren’t even denying the problem or predicting when it will ease. They’re blaming the epic wait times on COVID-related staffing shortages and a pause of online processing this year.

That’s left the passport agency flooded with a record-busting 500,000 applications a week – which is 30% to 40% more applicants than 2022.

The high demand to travel is on-track to top last year’s 22 million passports issued, according to federal officials.

“Our offices have collectively fielded hundreds of calls a day from constituents upset with the lack of response to their requests,” wrote six New York GOP lawmakers in a blistering letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken obtained by The Post. 

“These completely unacceptable delays have caused our constituents to lose out on the cost of airline fees and vacations, even after some constituents paid an extra fee [of $60] to expedite their application,” Reps. Andrew Garbarino, Michael Lawler, Nick LaLota, Nicole Malliotakis, Anthony D’Esposito and Marc Molinaro fumed in a joint letter.