John W. Rose
09/25/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/25/2024 11:29
Rep. Rose Leads Tennessee Delegation in Advocating for New Passport Office in Tennessee
WASHINGTON, DC-Today, U.S. Representative John Rose (TN-06) led a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed by the entire Tennessee U.S. House Delegation, U.S. Reps. Diana Harshbarger (TN-01), Tim Burchett (TN-02), Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03), Scott DesJarlais (TN-04), Andy Ogles (TN-05), Mark Green (TN-07), David Kustoff (TN-08), and Steve Cohen (TN-09),expressing concerns over the decision to exclude Tennessee from the list of states set to receive a new passport agency, as announced in a press release from June 2024. In the letter, which can be read in full here, the Tennessee Reps. urged Secretary Blinken to reconsider the decision.
The letter highlighted the travel burdens Tennesseans will continue to face, despite the addition of six new passport agencies. As an example, the letter cited the four closest passport agencies from Nashville: Atlanta, GA (4 hours), Cincinnati, OH (4.5 hours), Hot Springs, AR (6 hours), and Charlotte, NC (6.5 hours).
"Nashville's central location makes it an ideal site for a future passport agency," wrote the signees of the letter.The letter continued: "I strongly believe Tennessee deserves consideration for a passport agency, and I urge the State Department to reconsider its decision.I believe that establishing a passport agency in Tennessee would greatly benefit the region and align with the Department's goal of providing prompt customer service to more Americans."
The letter also included a series of questions to the U.S. Department of State regarding the criteria used to select new passport office locations, including what metrics or data points were used and whether travel burdens and driving distance were factored in.