We all knew this one was coming, didn’t we?

Tonight it is being reported by various news organizations that a proposal is set to be announced  Friday that will temporarily waive a requirement that U.S. passports be used for air travel to and from Canada and Mexico, provided the traveler can prove he or she has already applied for a passport.

According to the Associated Press, “The suspension in the rules is aimed at clearing a massive backlog of passport applications at the State Department that has slowed processing to a crawl, they said. Some officials said the change would last several months; others said as long as six months.”

Instead of a passport, travelers will now be able to present a State Department receipt showing their passport application is being processed, and a government-issued ID such as a driver’s license.

Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M, whose state is on the Mexican border, told the Associated Press that  she had been calling on State and Homeland Security to implement a suspension for two weeks.

“I said, ‘You need to take action. This is completely screwed up’,” she said. “To say people must have a passport to travel and not give people a passport is right up there in the stupid column.”

Amen.