The U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on nationwide postal woes began with opening statements from Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, USPS Board of Governors Chairman Roman Martinez IV, Postal Regulatory Commission Chairman Michael M. Kubayanda and USPS Inspector General Tammy Hull, followed by questions from committee members.
Before the hearing adjourned, Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia did not hold back in his questioning of DeJoy over the operational failures at metro Atlanta’s Palmetto facility, pressing the postmaster general to explain the “specific nature” of the failure that has led to on-time delivery being met only 36% of the time.
DeJoy explained that the delays in Atlanta are a result of having to move 2,000 employees to the new facility from other locations, and the postal service has “strict requirements as to when they move,” as well as “inbound transportation issues.”
But delays are being experienced around the country.
In Los Angeles, it is not irregular to go inside a post office and find only one employee working, if the office is even open.
Congresswoman Maxine Waters, who represents Compton, Inglewood and portions of South Los Angeles has placed the blame squarely on the shoulders of DeJoy.
“The current Postmaster General (a major Republican donor appointed by President Trump) has been making controversial changes to the operations of the Postal Service, including reducing overtime, dismantling sorting machines, slowing down the transportation of first-class mail while raising postage rates, removing blue mailboxes, cutting post officer hours, etc. to the dismay of rank-and-file postal employees and to the detriment of the citizens of this country and the 43rd Congressional District,” wrote Waters in a letter to this website.
“These outrageous changes have caused delays to important mail delivery, sporadic service in some areas, and even lost mail.”
“I and other Members of Congress have been urging President Biden to replace Mr. DeJoy as soon as the President has appointed enough members of the Postal Service’s Board of Governors to do so since they are the only body which has the authority to replace a Postmaster General, whose term in the position is not limited.”
President Biden appointed Derek Kan and Daniel Tangherlini to the nine-member Board of Governors in late 2021.
In February, of this year, in a letter, signed by Representative Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the committee overseeing the Postal Service, and Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi, Rosa DeLauro, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Gerald Connolly and Maxine Waters, and more than 80 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives urged President Joe Biden to nominate two candidates to open seats on the U.S. Postal Board of Governors, complaining about slow deliveries and increased costs.
“The actions of current postal leadership are deeply concerning. Rather than exploring new sources of revenue, it has continued price increases to ‘uncomfortable rates’ around the country,” it said, citing earlier comments on price hikes from Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.
Last November USPS reported a $6.5 billion net loss for the 12 months ending Sept. 30 and said it will not break even in 2024 as first-class mail fell to the lowest volume since 1968.
All of the aforementioned issues have significantly contributed to the decline in revenue facing the United States Postal Service.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution contributed to this report.