WASHINGTON, DC – Last week, U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, convened a hearing to examine the U.S. Postal Service’s current service, operations, and finances, including oversight of changes to the Postal Service’s network and their potential impacts on mail delivery. The committee heard from Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and other key officials on how proposed changes could impact mail service across the nation. The committee also heard about facility and transportation changes that have caused service declines in certain locations and discussed the impacts additional proposed changes could have on service in rural areas – including in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

FOX 2 Detroit: USPS Postmaster General Testifies to Senators

“Senator Gary Peters convened a hearing focusing on oversight of the Postal Service and timely mail delivery. Today, Senators heard from Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and probed the Postal Service's finances and changes to its delivery network. Senator Peters argues the Postal Service has not been fully transparent about changes to its operations, including here in Michigan.

Click HERE to watch more. 

“‘What the Postal Service needs right now is to build trust, trust that they're able to deliver mail in a timely way. And right now that trust is not there. And part of the reason for that trust not being there is they're not being transparent. They're not giving us information.’

“Now, Peters went on to say the Postal Service must let the public know of any changes before they happen and allow the public to respond.”

9&10 News Traverse City: Sen. Gary Peters Presses USPS for Answers on U.P. Mail Redirection

“It could be some serious or potentially deadly delays with time sensitive mail, like medications, water tests, or absentee ballots. 

Click HERE to watch more. 

“US Senator Gary Peters says he wants to hit the pause button on those changes until the Postal Service can assure residents that the changes will be helpful and not harmful.”

ABC 12 Flint: Sen. Gary Peters holds a press conference on USPS hearing

“Michigan Senator Gary Peters held a press conference on Zoom on Tuesday to discuss the United States Postal Service. The conference comes after an oversight hearing on the USPS, which focused on concerns about timely mail delivery, services, operations and finances.

…

“The hearing also included proposed changes to the Postal Service's Network and how it would impact communities across Michigan and the United States. 

Click HERE to watch more. 

“‘The Postal Service believes that they have a good plan,’ says Peters. ‘But we don't know it's a good plan until the data actually demonstrates that, and clearly, the data in Richmond and Atlanta are not demonstrating that it's a plan that delivers on-time performance while reducing cost. It's actually increasing cost and reducing time performance.’

“Peters adds that the delays are impacting communities in the Upper Peninsula.”

TV6 Marquette: UP residents concerned over lack of transparency of USPS service changes

“Senator Gary Peters, D-Michigan, attended an oversight hearing on the United States Postal Service (USPS) on Tuesday.

“He says the USPS should have considered the vital services using the post office in Iron Mountain before proposing changes to service.

“‘It is my understanding during the meeting postal officials were not even aware that there was a VA facility there, which is simply unacceptable,’ Peters said. ‘There is no excuse for delivering critical medications late, and particularly for our veterans.’

Click HERE to watch more. 

…

“Senator Peters requested a pause in implementing any changes until more information is available.”

The Iron Mountain Daily News: Peters seeks postal plan delay

“The Upper Peninsula got its moment on Capitol Hill along with other regions Tuesday as a Senate committee questioned U.S. Postal Service officials about plans to make major changes in how mail is processed and delivered across the country.

“U.S. Postmaster Louis DeJoy told the committee Tuesday the USPS desperately needs the changes to reduce its billions of dollars in losses and make the postal service competitive for the future.

“‘Status quo is not an option if we want long-term viability,’ said DeJoy, who has been postmaster since May 2020.

…

“But Sen. Gary Peters, chair of the committee, suggested Tuesday the plan be put on hold until USPS is able to show these changes will do what USPS intends, before the current system is dismantled.

“Peters, D-Michigan, took time Tuesday to note the effects the USPS plans for the Kingsford center already have had in the Upper Peninsula, eliminating overnight service required for shipping water tests and making it more difficult for senior citizens and veterans in the very rural region to quickly get medications by mail as in the past. That change was done in January, with almost no advance warning.

“He called it ‘somewhat striking’ USPS officials who conducted a public input hearing on its Kingsford facility review in Iron Mountain April 1did not know the city had the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center, which uses the mail to connect with the high percentage of veterans who have settled in the region.”

“In a news conference via Zoom after the hearing, Peters stressed he will continue to press USPS and DeJoy to slow the process down. He also hoped if the data doesn’t support making such moves that the USPS would be willing to reverse itself, including restoring overnight delivery in the Upper Peninsula.

“‘What the postal service needs to build right now,’ Peters said, ‘is trust.’”

The Marquette Mining Journal: Hearing reviews consolidation, delivery issues

“Peters spoke to reporters following a senate hearing Monday with DeJoy, in which he fielded questions and endured significant criticism. Peters had asked DeJoy to pause the rollout until the USPS can prove the changes will not negatively impact mail service. Peters chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which oversees the USPS.

“Peters said he is disappointed and concerned about how the implementation of changes to operations have gone so far.

“Rollout of some of the new changes in some of the first cities affected, including Atlanta, Charleston and Houston have shown significant decreases in on-time delivery.

“‘I’ve heard concerns from people in my home state of Michigan, worried about changing the Kingsford Postal facility into a Local Processing and Distribution Center, which has been proposed by the USPS in its initial review,’ he said.

…

“Peters said the USPS has failed to send him information he has requested and that there has been an overall failure to be transparent in this process.

“‘The nature of USPS’s network changes has now raised significant concerns including the potential for degraded rural service due to fewer facilities, delayed delivery of election mail that would be processed at out-of-state facilities, and critical health information such as laboratory tests not being processed same-day due to decreased transportation trips,’ he said."

The Houghton Daily Mining Gazette: Peters: USPS to provide info on proposed changes

“U.S. Sen. Gary Peters said Tuesday he has given U.S. Postmaster Gen. Louis DeJoy a May 1 deadline to provide information on the impact his proposed changes to the U.S. postal system will have on delivery speeds.

“‘We are going to hold the Postal Service to these deadlines and expect that we get that information,’ he said in a press conference after a Tuesday hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which he chairs. ‘And if the information is not something that makes sense to us, and could potentially harm veterans or people across the U.P., that will be unacceptable. And we will call that out and ask them to pause any changes until they can assure the people in our Upper Peninsula and people across the country that these changes will actually be beneficial to them and not harmful.’

…

“Peters said his understanding was that USPS officials had been unaware there was a Veterans Administration hospital nearby in Iron Mountain, which he called ‘unacceptable.’ Next-day delivery is also necessary in cases such as water testing, he said.

“‘They need next-day delivery for those tests to be valid. And it’s critical that the post office is actually able to deliver that next-day delivery so that those tests can be validated,’ he said. ‘Our veterans need to be sure that they get their medications which are provided via the Postal Service. And that has to happen on an everyday basis or it can have significant health impacts.’

“Residents in pilot cities where changes have been implemented, such as Houston and Atlanta, have also complained about extensive delays in mail delivery.

“‘The Postal Service needs to operate more efficiently and be able to bring down costs while continuing to maintain very high service standards for Americans,’ Peters said. ‘Postmaster General DeJoy has put together a plan to do that. Unfortunately, in those early postal centers, we have seen that it has not been performing as advertised.’”

WNMU Marquette Public Radio 90: Peters says Postal Service needs to up its game

“U.S. Senator Gary Peters says the U.S. Postal Service needs to do a better job, especially in rural areas.

“Peters is Chair of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which held a hearing on oversight of the Postal Service Tuesday. He says the elimination of overnight delivery service in the U.P. and plans to move mail processing from Iron Mountain to Green Bay are unacceptable.

“‘That means mail going to, even within the Upper Peninsula, from one U.P. town to another, has to go through Wisconsin before it gets back to the U.P.’

“Peters says veterans depend on the mail for their prescription medication, and water testing agencies must get samples tested within 24 hours.

“‘They need to have real quick turnaround. In fact, they need next-day delivery for those tests to be valid, and it’s critical that the Post Office is actually able to deliver that next-day delivery so that those tests can be validated.’

The Democratic Senator convened the hearing with USPS officials, including Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, to examine service changes and their impact to communities across the country. He says the Postal Service has not been as transparent as it needs to be, particularly when it comes to rural regions. Peters asked DeJoy to outline how changes in service are impacting communities.”

###