Postmaster General Promises to Fix Mail Slowdowns, Vows to Press Ahead with Modernization
U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy faced heated questions from senators over recent slowdowns in mail delivery, particularly in metro Atlanta, Georgia, and metro Richmond, Virginia.
The issues cropped up after the opening of new Regional Processing and Distribution Centers (RPDCs), which the United States Postal Service (USPS) is opening as part of its network modernization plan.
In testimony before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, Postmaster General DeJoy said USPS has “admittedly experienced difficulties in adjusting operations while opening new facilities and remodeling and repositioning existing ones.”
But the Postmaster General insisted that there is no other option but to press forward with modernization, as USPS tries to cut losses. It ended fiscal year (FY) 2023 with a $6.5 billion net loss and expects similar losses this year.
“The road to success will not be a straight, easy path. Rather, it will be a series of accomplishments, struggles and recoveries that will be uncomfortable at times,” Postmaster DeJoy told the committee.
That position was echoed by U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors Chairman Roman Martinez IV.
“Implementing a restructuring of this magnitude, there are going to be times when service falls short of our standards. And the Postal Service will move quickly to address it,” said Chairman Martinez.
The two regional facilities were opened as part of the Delivering for America (DFA) 10-year strategic plan, which is supposed to transform USPS “from an organization in financial and operational crisis to one that is self-sustaining and high performing.”
Atlanta, Richmond in Focus
According to U.S. Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) Chairman Michael Kubaynda, mail delivery rates in metro Atlanta “collapsed” in March 2024, with just 16 percent of letters and cards delivered on time, and 36 percent of first-class mail delivered on time.
PRC Chairman Kubaynda said the decline in delivery rates coincided with a February 24 opening of the RPDC, and suggests “problems with planning, execution, or both.”
The chairman also noted that the issues in Atlanta suggest “some underlying problems” and that mail delivery nationwide is “subpar” and “trending in the wrong direction.”
In Richmond, Virginia, on-time delivery dropped 21 percent to 65 percent after the opening of a new center in July 2023, according to Tammy Hull, USPS Inspector General. IG Hull could not pinpoint how much was due to the new facility and how much was due to seasonal influences.
Postmaster DeJoy blamed the issues on attendance problems, gaps in transportation scheduling and the transition from a “legacy working environment to the high level of precision now required in our performance” and pledged to stabilize the issues by the summer.
That did not sit well with Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA).
“I’ve got constituents with prescriptions that aren’t being delivered. I’ve got constituents who can’t pay their rent and their mortgages. I’ve got businesses who aren’t able to ship products or receive supplies,” said Senator Ossoff. “The long run is too long. You’ve got weeks, not months, to fix this.”
Election Concerns
Another issue is USPS readiness for the November election, with millions voting by mail.
Postmaster General DeJoy said network modernization will not impact the delivery of mail-in ballots and that he will tread cautiously around that time.
“I’ve taken my foot on and off the pedal, as appropriate, to capitalize on momentum,” said Postmaster General DeJoy.
