The U.S. Postal Service still isn’t delivering mail on time in Georgia, despite promises from Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff said on Thursday.
Last April, DeJoy promised to fix mail delays within 60 days. However, Ossoff pointed out during a Senate hearing that mail in Georgia is still only on time 75% of the time.
For people in Georgia, 75% isn’t good enough, Ossoff said to DeJoy. “You said this would be fixed, but it hasn’t been.
The problems began last winter when the Postal Service opened a new mail distribution center in Palmetto. At one point in April, only 36% of mail processed at the center was being delivered on time.
DeJoy explained that the delays happened because of issues with a new restructuring plan for the Postal Service. The plan, meant to make the service financially stable, was paused to address the problems in Georgia. DeJoy had promised that the delays would be fixed in about two months.
On Thursday, Ossoff said he’s still hearing complaints about late mail, including delayed prescriptions for seniors, small businesses struggling to ship products, and even death notices arriving late.
DeJoy said the Postal Service is still working through the challenges but needs the restructuring plan to stop losing money. The agency lost $6.5 billion in 2023 and $9.5 billion the year before.
We aim to deliver all mail and packages within three days, DeJoy said.
Ossoff argued that this goal is too low. “Delivery in Georgia has been terrible this year,” he said. You need to do better.