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Sen. Cornyn Presses For Passport Solutions In Houston

HOUSTON—U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, the top Republican on the Immigration and Border Security subcommittee, was in Houston on Monday to press federal officials for a solution to the recent passport application problems that plagued thousands of Texans. Sen. Cornyn called for adequate steps to be taken to avoid future backlogs.

“Delaying implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) was only a temporary solution,” Sen. Cornyn said. “Federal officials must take the necessary steps now to prevent a repeat of the recent backlog crisis when the program is reintroduced later this year. I will continue pressing Secretary Rice and other officials to make sure Americans’ ability to travel abroad is not hindered by poor planning, preparation and execution of rules like this.”

Sen. Cornyn received a briefing from officials at the Houston Passport Agency, including Regional Director Jackie Bell and Customer Service Manager Beth Turner. He also discussed unanimous Senate passage on Friday of the Department of State Crisis Response Act of 2007, S. 966, which authorizes the State Department to recruit and hire Foreign Service retirees to handle passport processing.

Sen. Cornyn recently wrote a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urging her to take immediate action to handle the increased load of passport applications. He also joined a bipartisan group of Senators earlier this month in urging the State Department to end the backlog and make sure it doesn’t happen again following expiration of the temporary waiver on Sept. 30. His office has helped thousands of Texans with their passport applications. 

Also on Monday in the Houston area, Sen. Cornyn met with community and business leaders and area residents in Pasadena and Kingwood. Sen. Cornyn provided a legislative update on various topics, including immigration reform and veterans care.

“Despite recent bipartisan rejection of a fatally flawed bill, securing our borders and passing comprehensive immigration reform must remain one of our top priorities. The problem is not going away,” Sen. Cornyn said. “The Senate should redouble its efforts to pass a bill that secures our borders, implements broader reform of our broken immigration system, without amnesty, and meets the needs of the economy.”

Sen. Cornyn also discussed care and benefits for veterans, specifically his legislation to improve benefits for burn victims and their families, which was passed out of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee last week. His measure, which corrects inequities in current law, was included in the Veterans’ Benefits Enhancement Act of 2007, S. 1315.

“We have a solemn obligation to the men and women who serve and have served in our military to ensure they receive the best treatment and benefits possible for themselves and their families,” Sen. Cornyn said. “I’m encouraged that the Senate is advancing this important legislation that will provide immediate assistance to wounded service members and their families. We must continue taking all necessary steps, both legislatively and by cutting bureaucratic red tape, to provide America’s service members the benefits they need and deserve.”

Sen. Cornyn serves on the Armed Services, Judiciary and Budget Committees. In addition, he is Vice Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference and the Senate Select Committee on Ethics. He serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee’s Immigration, Border Security and Refugees subcommittee and the Armed Services Committee’s Airland subcommittee. He served previously as Texas Attorney General, Texas Supreme Court Justice and Bexar County District Judge.

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