WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. postal deliveries continue to face “unacceptable delays” months after the issue first appeared, and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is due to explain to a group of 33 U.S. senators Wednesday why he is addressing the issue did not correct.
During the week ended Dec. 26, nationwide delivery on time was 64% for first-class mail and 45% for magazines, the senators said.
Delays in salaries and other mail deliveries by the US Postal Service (USPS) attracted attention this summer as a record number of voters were sent by ballot to elect a new president.
DeJoy, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump last year, suspended the operational changes in August after fierce criticism over delays by the post.
He will testify before a US committee of US representatives on the financial prospects of the Postal Service next week with Ron Bloom, a former Obama administration official who was elected as the new chairman of the US Postal Service last week. the American post.
The 31 Democratic senators and two independent legislators, led by Michigan Democrat Gary Peters, chair of the committee overseeing the Postal Service, said: “We call on you to be fully transparent with the public about postal services and the reasons why they are still experiencing delays. “
They cited USPS reports as part of an upcoming strategic plan for ten years, which could further delay the post.
DeJoy said in a statement on Wednesday that the plan was aimed at solving problems “that prevent the Postal Service from meeting the expectations of the American people for reliability, and that lead to billions of dollars in losses each year, without an end is in sight. “
DeJoy has come under fire for making service changes that delayed deliveries, and he suspended them in August before the 2020 presidential election.
‘We have to admit that we have achieved far less than our service goals during this peak season. “Too many Americans have left weeks on important deliveries of mail and packages,” DeJoy said last week, apologizing to customers.
Last week, USPS reported $ 318 million in revenue for the quarter ended December 31, delivering a record $ 1.1 billion vacation package, while first-class postal revenue declined by $ 177 million.
USPS reported net losses of $ 86.7 billion from 2007 to 2020. One reason for this is that Congress passed legislation in 2006 requiring USPS to fund more than $ 120 billion in health care and retirement obligations for retirees in advance. Trade unions have called this requirement an unfair burden that other businesses do not share.
Reporting by David Shepardson; Edited by Leslie Adler and Lisa Shumaker