WASHINGTON 鈥� U.S. senators representing Minnesota and North Dakota have sent another letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, once again pressing him to improve postal services in the Minnesota-North Dakota District.
On Thursday, June 27, U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) led the entire Minnesota and North Dakota congressional delegations in sending the bipartisan letter to DeJoy.
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The letter comes several weeks after the results were released from a December audit of the district that found 130,858 missing or delayed pieces of mail at six post offices over the course of two days. Including nearly 79,000 pieces of delayed mail in a three-day period, along with other issues, at the Bemidji Post Office.
Postal service delays were first reported in Bemidji last year, and the problem gained national attention in November, leading to Klobuchar, Smith and Rep. Pete Stauber each calling for action.
This all culminated in the legislators announcing the joint which would require the USPS to implement all of the recommendations provided by the OIG in its report.
The lawmakers also requested regular updates from the U.S. Postal Service on their progress in implementing these recommendations.
鈥淚t has long been clear that postal operations in the district are in trouble, and the investigation confirms this,鈥� the lawmakers wrote. 鈥淲e need to ensure that the OIG鈥檚 recommendations are fully implemented and actually result in significantly improved mail delivery and services across our states.鈥�
Here's the full text of Thursday's letter that was issued to DeJoy:
"Dear Postmaster General DeJoy,
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"We write in response to the United States Postal Service Office of the Inspector General report titled 鈥淢innesota-North Dakota District: Delivery Operations鈥� (24-032-R24). This report contains important findings about postal operations and recommendations to improve service across the Minnesota-North Dakota District.
"We urge you to take this report as an opportunity to improve service and operations in the district, both within the scope of the report鈥檚 recommendations and beyond.
"In the course of their investigation, the OIG visited six post offices in the district, selected based on their poor performance, to gather data on the operations at these facilities. Their findings are deeply concerning.
"In total, the investigators observed 130,858 pieces of delayed mail in just two days. They also found that staffing shortages contributed significantly to the poor performance of the district and led post office managers to prioritize package deliveries to keep up, going against Postal Service policy to deliver all First-Class Mail, Priority Mail and Priority Express Mail on the day it is received at a facility.
"It has long been clear that postal operations in the district are in trouble, and the investigation confirms this.
"As you know, the OIG made seven recommendations to USPS based on their findings, five of which are considered closed. The two open recommendations, to review staffing of units and implement strategies to fill carrier and clerk vacancies, are vital to the health of postal operations in the district. We urge you to implement these recommendations expeditiously and with the ultimate goal of improving service for Minnesotans and North Dakotans.
"However, USPS efforts to improve service in the district should not stop with these recommendations. The District consistently ranks among the poorest-performing districts.
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"In the Postal Service鈥檚 opportunity rankings, which rank USPS districts from best (50th) to worst (1st) in performance, the district averaged 8.5 for mail delivery and 26.4 for package delivery in the final quarter of 2023. We need to ensure that the OIG鈥檚 recommendations are fully implemented and actually result in significantly improved mail delivery and services across our states.
"To that end, we request that your staff provide monthly briefings to the staff of the Minnesota and North Dakota Congressional delegations on progress in improving service in the district.
"We also request that you provide us with monthly updates on the district鈥檚 opportunity rankings, staffing levels for different positions, and progress toward the implementation of recommendations two and three. The Postal Service is a lifeline to so many of our constituents, and there must be progress in improving service to them.
"Providing the Congressional delegation of the district with updates and data will provide much-needed transparency and accountability.
"Thank you for your attention to this matter."
The Trust Project
