WASHINGTON — Congress is seeking to delay a new security rule requiring passports at all U.S. border crossings next year in hopes of avoiding a repeat of the summer’s backlog of passport applications.
The Bush administration said Monday it opposed the measure and still plans to go forward with implementing the planned passport rule next summer.
Lawmakers said Monday that under legislation, the border passport rule would be moved back to no earlier than June 1, 2009.
The first phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative went into effect earlier this year, requiring U.S. travelers returning by plane from Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean to carry a passport. Demand for passports soared and wait times for passports ballooned from four to six weeks to 12 weeks.
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