The Trump administration announced Thursday it will revoke passports for U.S. citizens who owe substantial child support.
The State Department said it will begin revoking the passports of people who owe more than $2,500 in child support, which will likely affect thousands of parents. Officials are expected to initially target around 2,700 holders who have $100,000 or more in outstanding debt, starting Friday, according to the Associated Press.
Recommended Stories
The development marks an expansion of a policy that had subjected the same revocation to parents who applied to renew their passports.
“We are expanding a commonsense practice that has been proven effective at getting those who owe child support to pay their debt,” Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar said in a post to X. “We are working across agency lines to ensure American children receive the support they need and deserve. Once parents resolve their debts, they can once again enjoy the privilege of a U.S. passport.”
We are expanding a commonsense practice that has been proven effective at getting those who owe child support to pay their debt. Under @POTUS and @SecRubio leadership, we are working across agency lines to ensure American children receive the support they need and deserve. Once… https://t.co/sMXGwJRFoF
— Assistant Secretary Mora Namdar (@AsstSecStateCA) May 8, 2026
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is coordinating with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to carry out the policy change. Rubio’s office touted the action as one that “supports the welfare of American children by exacting real consequences for child support delinquency under existing federal law.”
“Under the Trump Administration, the Department of State is coordinating with the Department of Health and Human Services on an unprecedented scale to revoke the passports of Americans who have racked up significant outstanding child support debt,” the State Department said in a press release that slammed parents who are “neglecting their legal and moral obligations to their children.”
FOUR FORMER PRESIDENTS UNITE WITH HOPEFUL MESSAGE AHEAD OF AMERICA 250
The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act, which Congress passed in 1996, allows the State Department to “revoke, restrict, or limit” a previously issued passport if a parent holds over $5,000 in child support debt. A law passed in 2005 amended that amount, lowering the threshold to $2,500.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the State Department for comment.
