Reps. Cleaver, Graves Seek Answers from the United States Postal Service
(Kansas City, MO) – Today, U.S. Representatives Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) and Sam Graves (R-MO) sent a letter to United States Postmaster General Louis DeJoy seeking resolution to a number of ongoing issues facing constituents in Missouri’s Fifth and Sixth Congressional Districts including, inconsistent and unreliable mail delivery and lack of transparency when attempting to resolve ongoing mail delivery issues.
“Ensuring the delivery of mail is one of the few powers specifically delegated to Congress in the Constitution, so when I hear about constituents reaching out to my office having not received their mail in weeks, it compels Members of Congress to act,” said Congressman Cleaver. “Americans rely on the Postal Service to pay their bills on time, collect their hard-earned paychecks, and receive vital medications.”
“Missourians from all walks of life depend on the United States Postal Service to deliver the mail six days a week,” said Congressman Graves. “It doesn’t matter if you live in downtown Kansas City, in the suburbs, or in rural North Missouri, folks depend on the mail to get prescriptions, bills, and other important documents in a timely manner. The failure of the agency to live up to its core promise, particularly when they just posted a $60 billion net profit, is unconscionable. I’ve long supported our postal workers and the dedication they have to delivering the mail on time, but it’s clear there’s a leadership problem somewhere in the chain of command and Missourians deserve some answers.”
In February, the Congressmen joined the House in passing H.R. 3076, the Postal Service Reform Act, which became public law in April. The Postal Service Reform Act enacts overdue changes to address financial challenges, improve mail delivery, and support postal workers, including promoting reliable delivery and transparency through a public-facing online dashboard and codifying the Postal Service’s longtime tradition of delivering mail and packages six days a week.
“When I proudly voted in favor of the Postal Service Reform Act, I voted to strengthen the United States Postal Service and ensure reliable, on-time mail service for Missourians,” said Congressman Cleaver. “Rain or shine, sleet or snow, we must restore the public’s confidence in the USPS and their ability to fulfill their duty.”
The Congressmen requested formal responses to the following questions addressed to Postmaster DeJoy:
- Has the USPS received internal or external reports of significant failures to uphold its six-day mail delivery, as required by law?
- What is the USPS’ plan to achieve reliable six-day delivery of the mail in all regions of the country?
- Specifically, how does the USPS plan to address the Kansas City region’s unreliable mail delivery?
- If/when the USPS has a change in delivery service, how does the USPS plan to notify constituents?
- If there are barriers to achieving this required level of service, what are they?
- Does the USPS plan to reinvest its new profits into services that support letter carriers’ critical work to deliver six-day mail?
You can find the official letter from the lawmakers here.
Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Blue Springs, Grain Valley, Oak Grove, North Kansas City, Gladstone, Claycomo, and all of Ray, Lafayette, and Saline Counties. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee; Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development, and Insurance; member of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress; member of the Committee on Homeland Security; and a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus.