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Congressman Krishnamoorthi Questions USPS Leaders On Disastrous Service Cuts And Delays Caused By Postmaster General DeJoy’s Recent Policy Change

October 15, 2021

President of Chicago Branch Of National Association Of Letter Carriers Confirms USPS Is Not Ready For The Holiday Season

SCHAUMBURG, IL – Today, during a Chicago-based field hearing of the House Oversight Committee regarding recent failures of the United States Postal Service, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi highlighted the need to support the United States Postal Service and solve their problems of understaffing, delayed mail, and poor leadership.

In his questioning of Mack Julion, President of the National Association of Letter Carriers Local Branch #11, Mr. Julion informed the Congressman that the pandemic is not solely at fault for the understaffing issues that are currently slowing the USPS, as they have been chronic issues that must be addressed. In the testimony of Melinda Perez, Acting Assistant Inspector General For Audit in the Office of Inspector General, she noted that two of the lowest performing mail processing plants in the country are in the greater Chicago area. The Congressman also questioned Ms. Perez on the recent October 1st service standard changes implemented by Postmaster General DeJoy – which lengthened the delivery time for about 30% of first-class mail and packages. However, as Congressman Krishnamoorthi highlighted, service standards have not only slowed but become far less dependable as one Chicago-area resident informed the Congressman that it took one envelope 3 weeks to travel the 11 miles from Evanston to Northbrook.

In response to delays in mail, earlier this year, Congressman Krishnamoorthi introduced the Delivering Envelopes Judiciously On-time Year-round Act, or DEJOY Act, to require the Postal Service to adhere to its traditional service standards and continue its reliable service to the American people.

"Since the birth of our country, Americans have depended on the U.S. Postal Service to deliver their mail on time and dependably, but Postmaster General DeJoy's disastrous policy change has reduced service to unprecedented degrees as Americans depend on the reliable delivery of their mail and essential packages, including medications," said Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi. "We've witnessed the damage of the DeJoy plan already across the Chicago area as my constituents, like millions of other Americans, are losing confidence in one of our nation's most trusted institutions. That's completely unacceptable, and we need to end this Postmaster General's deliberate slowdowns while actually addressing chronic USPS understaffing and restoring trust in the USPS. Overcoming these challenges will not be easy, especially so long as Louis DeJoy is permitted to remain Postmaster General, but it is essential, and neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night will stop us from saving the Post Office."

Congressman Krishnamoorthi's opening statement is available here.

Congressman Krishnamoorthi's question line is available here.

The map below from the Washington Post highlights the reduction in service standards from Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's 10-year plan, which went into effect on October 1, 2021:

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Rep. Krishnamoorthi