The latest salvo came Wednesday from House Oversight Committee Republicans who sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken asking for a briefing by Aug. 4 to explain the logjam and provide details on State Department staffing. The State Department told Fox News Wednesday that about 1.5 to 2 million passports applications are pending. "More than a year later the State Department has been unable to catch up with the demand and it appears the backlog is continuing to grow. In March 2020, the State Department dramatically reduced its passport operations to protect staff from the spreading pandemic. Staff is now returning, but until they are fully ramped up, Americans should expect longer processing times, according to the State Department.

Source: Fox News July 28, 2021 16:30 UTC