Letter to Louis DeJoy, Postmaster General of the United States Postal Service - Congressman Kim Calls for Answers on Post Office Delays

Letter

Dear Postmaster General DeJoy,

I write concerned about recent mail delivery delays in New Jersey's Third District and elsewhere
around the country.

Recent reports suggest your office has made operational changes including ending overtime for postal workers, instructing postal workers to leave mail behind at distribution centers if they are unable to collect all their mail at the beginning of their shifts, and requiring postal workers to return mail they did not deliver to the distribution center. Additionally, these reports suggest that routes of postal workers on vacation will no longer be covered, with mail deliveries ceasing while their letter carrier is on vacation, and late trips will no longer be authorized. Many of my constituents have rightly contacted my office to express frustration and concern about ongoing mail delivery delays, some of whom have not received their medications and first-class mail for more than three days.

As I am sure you understand, I find these reports deeply concerning and worry that they are a direct result of your new directives. As you know, federal law requires the United States Postal Service (USPS) to provide mail services to everyone in America promptly, reliably and efficiently. While I understand the serious and ongoing financial challenges facing the USPS, I am gravely concerned that operational decisions that knowingly cause the USPS to fail to meet its own service delivery standards could cause catastrophic harm to many of my constituents and people all over the country.

During the current Coronavirus crisis, USPS postal workers have been the only reliable interaction for many of my constituents, particularly seniors. Throughout Burlington and Ocean County, many individuals suffering from cancer, diabetes, heart conditions and other illnesses cannot leave their homes due to the Coronavirus and are relying on the Postal Service to deliver their medications and other vital mail. These individuals are grandparents, neighbors, mothers and fathers, and siblings and it is our duty to protect them during this global pandemic. Moreover, I'm also concerned that these service delivery delays, if allowed to continue, could have a devastating impact on the upcoming election. As you know, many states, including New Jersey, have relied more heavily upon vote-by-mail options during the Coronavirus crisis. We cannot allow the failure to meet service delivery standards to impact the validity of a single voter's ballot, let alone the outcome of an election.

For these reasons, I respectfully request that you respond to the following questions on or before
August 31, 2020:

1. What specific operational changes have been mandated and why?
2. What will the impact of these new changes be on service delivery standards?
3. How will the USPS ensure that service delivery standards are met?
4. What staffing shortages exist and what, if any, efforts are being made to eliminate them?
5. How has the Coronavirus crisis impacted staffing, mail volumes, and operations?
6. What measures is the USPS taking to protect the integrity of our democratic elections, ensure ballots are handled securely and being delivered on time?

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I eagerly await your response to my questions about
delayed mail delivery.

Source