Greenburgh Supervisor Paul Feiner thanked US Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer for intervening in the case of a Greenburgh woman waiting for her Passport. Feiner writes, “One family won’t be devastated by the Passport authorities negligence Last week News 12 aired a story highlighting a Greenburgh woman who was very worried that she would miss her brothers wedding in Bulgaria. She was scheduled to fly to Europe this past Thursday but did not have the passport. She and her mom had purchased non refundable airline tickets. Unfortunately, even though she had applied for an expedited passport in late May – the Passport agency had not processed the application. Without a passport she would miss her brothers wedding in Europe. She and her family would have been devastated,” said Feiner.
“I reached out to Senator Chuck Schumer’s regional office and am pleased to report that their office was extremely helpful. On Tuesday night I received word from Senator Schumers office that the passport had been approved and was being mailed priority to the constituent. On Wednesday I contacted the government liaison I deal with at the US Postal Service who arranged for the passport to be delivered immediately. No postal service delays in this case Good news: The family was able to celebrate this important family event together.”
“A big thank you to Senator Schumer and his staff for their help in expediting the passport. There are other constituents who also are experiencing problems getting their passports – due to problems with the Passport Agency. Many people are devastated because they have to cancel weddings, vacations and business trips.”
“If you plan a vacation abroad and don’t have a passport – don’t want for the last minute. Even expedited applications take a very long time for the passport agency to process. I will continue to try to help residents and contact everyone I can think of when constituents contact me about passport problems but some members of Congress report that even Congressional intervention can’t always get the passports delivered in time. And – some people will be disappointed. I’m happy to try. My e mail is pfeiner@greenburghny.com”
“Finally, I think there is no excuse for the passport agency delays in processing applications. I believe that there should be congressional investigations as to the reasons and that the passport agency should be provided with the resources they need to effectively and efficiently process all applications,” said Feiner.
According to the State Department, general passport services can now take up to 18 weeks, compared to six to eight weeks before COVID, while expedited service, which costs an additional $60, and took anywhere from days to three weeks before Covid-19, can now take up to 12 weeks.
“Some say, ‘kiss the bride,’ not your honeymoon or other memorable moments goodbye. Simply put, this passport backlog must end,” said Sen. Schumer.
