Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has a disaster on his fingers. But not like the international coups, hostage-takings and navy threats that the nation’s high diplomat routinely faces, this one comes from throughout the huge paperwork he instructions — and could also be much more tough to unravel.

The drawback is a big backlog of passport purposes that’s creating summer season journey nightmares for Americans who discover that getting a brand new passport or renewing an expired one can take months, forcing them into panicked races in opposition to their deliberate journey date by way of an typically bewildering bureaucratic maze.

Senator Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia, has known as the scenario a “crisis.” Senator Rick Scott, Republican of Florida, has mentioned it’s “an unacceptable failure.” And Utah’s total congressional delegation told Mr. Blinken in a letter this spring that their places of work had been “struggling to handle all incoming emergency requests due to the sheer volume” of pleas from their constituents.

“While running a competent passport application process may not make a panel at Davos, this is an important function of the federal government that directly affects the lives and plans of millions of Americans,” Senator Eric Schmitt, Republican of Missouri, mentioned in a letter to Mr. Blinken, referring to the elite financial discussion board held yearly within the Swiss Alps.

The State Department, which points and renews passports for American residents, has mentioned it’s nonetheless recovering from disruptions attributable to the coronavirus pandemic, even because it faces report numbers of purposes, pushed by surging demand from Americans who let their passports lapse over the previous few years.

“We’re throwing everything we can at this, trying to make sure that people have those blue books, that they’re able to travel,” Mr. Blinken mentioned at a news convention final month after a query concerning the delays punctuated his commentary about issues like Russia, Taiwan and ambassadorial nominations.

“It’s something that comes up repeatedly with members of Congress, with folks that I come across,” Mr. Blinken mentioned.

The State Department says it’s receiving 430,000 purposes every week, down some from a peak of 560,000 per week in March. The division is on observe to problem 25 million passports this 12 months, a rise from final 12 months’s 22 million.

The drawback is especially acute in the mean time, with thousands and thousands of Americans touring in a foreign country for August holidays. The State Department’s current estimated processing time of 10 to 13 weeks — or seven to 9 weeks for a $60 price — has blindsided Americans who anticipate shorter turnarounds. For many who’ve journeys deliberate this month, it might be too late to obtain or renew passports.

“Constituents are reporting that they are placed on hold by passport offices for hours before calls inexplicably drop,” the Utah delegation mentioned in its letter. “Constituents who do get through are being given incorrect information over the phone, such as being told they cannot upgrade to overnight shipping or expedited services.”

The State Department says its aim is to cut back processing instances to about six to eight weeks for routine service and two to 3 weeks for expedited service.

People who want passports urgently can get one sooner by making an in-person appointment, quite than counting on the normal mail-in course of. But excessive demand has made these appointments arduous to safe — and a few folks have been dismayed to study that well timed appointments can be found solely at websites removed from dwelling. (The State Department additionally gives “life-or-death emergency” appointments.)

In a press release, Mr. Warner expressed some sympathy for the State Department, saying it had been hit by a “perfect storm of events” — notably the truth that thousands and thousands of Americans didn’t renew their passports in recent times due to a pandemic journey lull “and now are trying to renew along with everybody whose passport is expiring in 2023.”

Mr. Warner blamed State Department hiring freezes through the Trump administration for creating staffing shortfalls and mentioned he was urgent for the division to rent extra personnel, notably info expertise specialists.

He suggested folks going through journey emergencies to succeed in out to “your senator or member of Congress, who may be able to help.”

Showing much less sympathy over structural issues, some Republicans have accused Mr. Blinken of neglecting the issue.

In a follow-up letter to Mr. Blinken final month, Mr. Schmitt argued that the State Department’s “misplaced” priorities had led to thousands and thousands spent on range, fairness and inclusion packages, efforts to fight wildlife trafficking in China, and $120,000 on “gastrodiplomacy,” all of which he known as “expenditures that could be spent on hiring more passport agents.”

Recognizing the issue, Mr. Blinken paid a late June visit to his division’s largest passport processing workplace, in New York City.

“I saw the operation firsthand and saw people working overtime, double time, triple time to get blue books into people’s hands,” he mentioned. “We’re trying to do our best at getting people their passports.”