Stauber Blast Postmaster Dejoy for Bogus Plan

Washington, D.C. - Today, Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08) sent Postmaster General Louis Dejoy a letter regarding a report detailing how the United States Postal Service (USPS) is considering plans to allow slower mail delivery in the coming months for long-distance and rural services to cut costs.

“I am deeply disappointed by this announcement, as your agency’s mission is to provide every American with reliable, affordable, and universal mail service,” exclaimed Congressman Stauber in the letter.

“Arbitrarily determining that a senior living in a rural area can wait to receive their life-saving medication or a veteran can wait to receive their benefits check is unacceptable. Rural communities are already at a disadvantage, with less access to essential services. Your proposal exacerbates these issues, turning a blind eye to the fact that reliable mail service is a lifeline for many in these areas.”

The letter goes on to demand an immediate reassessment of the plan and calls for solutions that do not compromise service quality for rural areas.

Background:

A Washington Post article titled “Postal Service considers rural mail slowdown after election,” dated August 22, 2024, reports that USPS officials are considering plans to allow for slower rural delivery.

Over the past year, Congressman Stauber has received numerous reports concerning USPS operations, including complaints of work conditions from rural carriers and serious delays of essential items due to alleged prioritization of third-party packages. This prompted Congressman Stauber to inquire about these complaints to the USPS, whose response to the inquiry was insufficient and dismissive.

Since then, Congressman Stauber introduced the Rural Mail Delivery Improvement Act with Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). This legislation requires the USPS to implement best practices to fix their delivery of service. Furthermore, Congressman Stauber introduced the Modifying Allocations to Improve Local Service (MAIL) Act. This legislation redirects $3 billion from the Biden-Harris Administration’s program to electrify all USPS vehicles, which do not work in cold weather climates like Minnesota, to workforce development, training, and overall improvement of working conditions for our rural carriers.

To read the full letter, click here.