Bureau of Consular Affairs rethinks customer service as passport applications surge

At the State Department, a growing demand for passports has led the Bureau of Consular Affairs to rethink its customer experience strategy. In 2025, the bureau issued more than 27 million passport books and cards. That’s a one-year record. Matt Pierce is the deputy assistant secretary of State for passports. As he told Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman, the department is managing to hold processing times at record lows – despite that record volume.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.