In January, a new law was implemented requiring all travelers entering the US by air from anywhere to provide a passport.  This meant that visitors to Canada, Mexico, and other nearby places now needed a passport to return from their trips, which they didn't need before.  This has created an unprecedented demand for passports, which has in turn created a major backlog.  For example, when I applied for a passport in February, the website said that there was a 6-8 week delay.  I was told as I applied that the delay would be 8-10 weeks.  Twelve weeks later, the delay was a mere 12 weeks, and I was still two weeks away from getting my passport.

Now, the State Department gets its direction from Congress, especially on something as big as this.  That is why I found great irony in a news story about a California congressman who is criticizing the State Department for the backlog.  Apparently it never occurred to him that requiring a large group of people who have traditionally traveled without a passport to have one would cause a significant increase in demand, which the State Department's (Congressionally dictated) budget didn't support the manpower to meet.

I suppose I shouldn't give him a hard time.  After all, I voted for congressmen who enacted this rule, so it's really my fault that my passport took twice as long as planned.