WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. mail deliveries still face “unacceptable delays” months after the problem first appeared, and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy must explain why he did not correct the problem, according to a group of 33 senators Americans on Wednesday.
During the week ending December 26, delivery times across the country were 64% for first-class correspondence and 45% for periodicals, the senators said.
Delays in paychecks and other mail deliveries by the US Postal Service (USPS) gained attention this summer, with a record number of voters sent on ballots to elect a new president.
DeJoy, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump last year, halted operational changes in August after massive criticism of postal delays.
He is due to testify next week before a committee of the US House of Representatives on the Post Office’s financial outlook, along with Ron Bloom, a former Obama administration official elected last week as the new chairman of the US Postal Board of Governors. .
The 31 Democratic senators and two independent legislators, led by Michigan Democrat Gary Peters, who chairs the committee that oversees the Post Office, said “we ask that you be fully transparent with the public about Post Office operations and the reasons why you still face delays” .
They cited reports from the USPS as part of a 10-year strategic plan that could further delay mail.
DeJoy said on Wednesday in a statement that the plan aims to correct problems “that are preventing the postal service from meeting the expectations of the American people for reliability and resulting in billions of dollars in losses every year with no end in sight.”
DeJoy was heavily criticized for making service changes that delayed deliveries and he suspended them in August, ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
“We must recognize that, during this peak season, we fall far short of our service goals. Many Americans have been waiting for weeks for important deliveries of mail and packages, ”said DeJoy last week, apologizing to customers.
Last week, the USPS reported revenue of $ 318 million for the quarter ended December 31, delivering a record 1.1 billion packages for the holiday season, while first-class mail revenue declined by $ 177 million.
The USPS reported net losses totaling $ 86.7 billion from 2007 to 2020. One reason is that Congress in 2006 passed legislation that requires the USPS to fund more than $ 120 billion in health plans and pensions for retirees. Unions see this requirement as an unfair burden that other companies do not share.
Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Leslie Adler and Lisa Shumaker