Cost of passport crush soars

New travel rules that swamped passport offices and frustrated U.S. travelers this summer will cost the government an estimated $944 million over three years, officials said.

That amount is more than three times the State Department’s estimate.

To raise the extra dollars, the department wants to keep a larger share of what U.S. citizens pay to get a passport --$20 of the nearly $100 fee for first-time applicants instead of $6.