Tennessee House members push for passport office in Nashville
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Tennessee's congressional delegation is pushing to bring a federal passport agency to Nashville.
Why it matters: Nashville area residents have to drive several hours to the nearest passport office.
- There also aren't any conveniently located offices in the western or eastern parts of the state.
- Passport agencies allow residents to expedite the approval process, which can take months. Despite the ability to apply for passports online, many residents prefer to visit the nearest office.
Driving the news: To address growing demand for passports, the State Department announced the opening of six new passport agencies in June, but Nashville didn't make the list.
- Led by Republican U.S. Rep. John Rose, all nine members of the Tennessee's House delegation sent a letter last week quizzing Secretary of State Antony Blinken about why Nashville was passed over.
- When Tennesseans encounter problems getting their passports approved, they frequently contact their congressional representative for help.
By the numbers: According to the House members' letter, the nearest passport agency to Nashville is four hours away in Atlanta.
- The Cincinnati office is 4.5 hours away; the Hot Springs, Ark. office is six hours away; and the Charlotte office is 6.5 hours away.
- According to data released earlier this year, 48% of Americans have passports. That's up from 5% in 1990.
What they're saying: "This is unacceptable, especially considering the urgent circumstances that many of our constituents face when seeking a passport," the House members wrote in their letter. "Our caseworkers regularly encounter individuals who require expedited passport services, and it is incredibly difficult to advise them to travel such long distances."
Zoom in: The House members asked Blinken to explain what "specific factors" led to selecting the six newest locations.
- They also asked how the department weighed the need for passport services in each state, and what data points it used to determine demand for each location.
- "Nashville's central location makes it an ideal site for a future passport agency," Rose and the other House members said in their letter. "Our state's geographic position would allow for easier access to passport services for Tennesseans and citizens from neighboring states."