Senate Holds Hearing on Passport Backlog

In response to countless complaints, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing yesterday to investigate a massive backlog in the processing of passport applications

Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Maura Harty, who testified on behalf of the agency, was inundated with questions by frustrated committee members.  "We want to know who's accountable and why this mess has happened," said Senator Bill Nelson, (D-FL), who chaired the hearing.

Harty, who verified that there are nearly 3 million passport applications currently awaiting processing, cited a number of reasons for the backlog.  She claimed that while the Department of State anticipated a significant increase in the number of applications as a result of the implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), the demand far exceeded expectations.  She added that many people without definite travel plans are also now applying for passports in large numbers, likely recognizing the value of owning a passport as an additional form of identification. 

Colin Walle, president of the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE) Local 1998, a nationwide local representing NFFE’s passport employees, disagreed with Harty’s claim that the increase in applications was unexpected.  According to Walle, an estimate of 16.2 million applications in FY2007 was posted by the Department of State in 2006.  In addition, estimates of 17 or 18 million applications for FY2007 were mentioned by managers.  The agency is currently on pace to receive 17 to 17.5 million applications this year, meaning that the demand is, at most, 5 to 8 percent greater than expected.  While a 5 to 8 percent increase is not insignificant, a backlog of this magnitude would not have resulted if the agency had been properly staffed, and could have been resolved through means such as voluntary overtime.

During yesterday’s hearing Harty repeatedly emphasized the additional passport employees that had been hired during the last three years.  What she didn’t explain, said Walle, is that only a small portion of those new hires were passport adjudicators.  Most of the current backlog involves applications waiting to be adjudicated.  In February of 2005, the agency employed 480 passport adjudicators.  At an annual meeting on February 8^th of that year, the agency claimed it had requested the hiring of an additional 468 employees prior to the implementation of the WHTI, about 400 of which were to be adjudicators.  This would have brought the total number of passport adjudicators to approximately 880 by the time the new regulations took effect.  However, as of March 2007, there were only 665 adjudicators, a net increase of just 185.   Understaffing, not an unexpected volume of passport applications, led to the backlog the agency currently faces. 

Fortunately, as yesterday’s hearing shows, the mismanagement is being brought to light and the responsible parties are being held accountable.  Without exception, the Senators on the Foreign Relations Committee commended passport employees for their hard work and dedication, and recognized that the current problem stems from mismanagement. 

Calls for change are also now being answered.  More adjudicators are being hired (the total number of adjudicators had risen to 698 as of June 11, 2007), and phases of the WHTI are temporarily being relaxed or postponed to allow them to catch up on the backlog of applications.  As announced on June 8^th, U.S. Citizens traveling to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, or countries in the Caribbean, who have applied for passports and not yet received them can still return to the U.S. via air.  Through September 30^th, 2007, presentation of a valid, government issued photo identification and proof of application for a passport from the Department of State will be sufficient for re-entry.  In addition, the Department of Homeland Security and State Department today announced that the land/sea portion of the WHTI will not be fully implemented in January 2008 as originally planned.  Beginning in January 2008, U.S. and Canadian citizens will need to present a government issued photo identification as well as proof of citizenship to enter or re-enter the U.S.  At a later date, the full requirements for the land/sea phase will be implemented; this is currently expected to take place in the summer of 2008.

“This is a regrettable but necessary delay,” said Walle.  “The only way to save the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative is to delay it.”

NFFE Assistant to the President Cassie Kerner attended yesterday’s hearing on the union’s behalf.