By Joyce Kryszak
Buffalo, NY – Delays in processing passports have created a backlog of nearly three million applications. But United States Senator Charles Schumer was in Buffalo Monday telling anxious travelers that help is on the way.
The backlog has more than tripled wait times, canceling or nearly canceling travel plans for thousands of travelers - many of them in Western New York.
Lauren Brechtel was one of about a dozen teens planning a church missionary trip to Zambia. But after months of waiting for her passport, Brechtel almost didn't go.
In desperation, Brechtel and her friends turned to Schumer's office for help. The passports arrived with only two days to spare.
But Schumer said new legislation recently passed in Congress would speed up the process for those still waiting. The bill would eliminate a penalty on pensions, allowing retired federal agents to be hired temporarily to process applications.
Schumer said once the law is signed by the president, workers can be on the job within days. Still, Schumer said, "it is a big mess that never should have happened."
He said poor communication between federal departments orchestrating the Northern Hemisphere Travel Initiative created a rush for passports, with not enough workers to process the applications.
Schumer said New York is making progress developing an enhanced driver's license that would correct that problem. And the new law is expected to resolve the current passport backlog within about six weeks.
However, Schumer encouraged other people still urgently waiting for passports for over-seas travel to contact his office.
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