H.R. 7623 would require the Department of State to report to the Congress on its plan to eliminate the backlog of passport applications. It also would require the department’s Inspector General to report to the Congress on the department’s efforts to implement that plan.
In March 2020 the department significantly reduced its passport operations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a backlog of more than one million passport applications. The department is in the process of reopening passport agencies and expects to resolve the backlog in calendar year 2020.
On the basis of information from the department, CBO estimates that providing the required reports would cost the department less than $500,000 over the 2020-2025 period. Such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
