Rep. Cleaver Joins Bipartisan Calls Opposing USPS Consolidation, Operational Changes Across the Country

(Washington, D.C.)- This week, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) joined U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Joe Manchin (D-WV), along with a bipartisan group of 19 other Members of Congress, to decry the United States Postal Service's (USPS) recent nationwide consolidation and review announcements that could severely diminish mail service reliability for postal networks across the Country.

In a letter to Postmaster General DeJoy, the Members wrote:

"A common theme of these announcements is the so-called 'modernization' of Processing and Distribution Centers (P&DCs) into Local Processing Centers (LPCs). Taken together, these proposals dismantle parts of the Postal Service's robust network that helps distribute mail across the country and places outgoing sorting into more distant facilities. The result of this change is that mail will need to travel farther from its origin to its sorting, creating inefficiencies in the system, especially for local mail."

"These consolidation proposals never have had any discernible support from local communities. On the contrary, we have heard strong opposition to these efforts from USPS customers, community leaders, local businesses, and postal employees," the Members continued. "Rather than marching forward with these plans and offering short and vague statements dismissing concerns, the Postal Service should be communicating why the organization believes these changes are beneficial and what the specific impact of the changes will be to mail service."

"The Postal Service provides an essential service upon which our constituents rely. The robust nature of the Postal Service's current network is its strength, not its weakness. To ensure that our constituents continue to receive reliable service, we urge you to reconsider these consolidation announcements," the Members concluded.

The announced network changes align with the Postal Service's Delivering for America (DFA) plan. However, a recent review by the USPS Office of Inspector General of the implementation of the new Regional Processing and Distribution Center (RP&DC) in Richmond, Virginia, highlighted the problems with the USPS's plan. That facility was the first to be converted to an RP&DC as a result of the DFA plan. The Inspector General's review noted that challenges associated with changes to the facility "contributed to a decrease in service performance for the Richmond region that continued four months after launch."

Yet still, less than two weeks after the release of this report, the Postal Service announced additional facility conversions, including the downgrade of the Columbia, Missouri P&DC to LPC, creating a new set of difficulties for an organization already experiencing workforce challenges, long delivery distances, declining mail volume, and competition in certain markets.

Over the last several years, Congressmen Cleaver has voiced numerous concerns with the USPS about performance issues. In October 2022, Reps. Cleaver and Sam Graves (R-MO) sent a letterto Postmaster General Dejoy expressing concerns about the agency's failure to fulfill their congressionally mandated duty to provide six-day mail delivery. In December 2022, the Postal Service respondedwith complaints about low unemployment rates in the Kansas City region and encouraged residents to apply to work on the USPS, without offering a plan for the agency to meet their mandate.

In March 2023, Reps. Cleaver and Graves called onPostmaster General DeJoy to deliver a plan to address mail delivery delays, fulfill the USPS's legal obligation to deliver mail 6 days per week, and listen to the concerns of Kansas City residents that had been frustrated with the performance of their local USPS branches. Following that letter, the USPS OIG announced they would conduct an audit of delayed mail and delivery operations in the Northland and the Kansas City area. The auditwas completed in August of last year.

In January 2024, Cleaver and Graves leda cohort of fellow lawmakers calling on USPS to halt price increases on stamps, following the agency's record-breaking fourth rate increase in the last eighteen months. The legislators demanded USPS address the failings of the Delivering for America Plan and turn around performance issues of the USPS in order to legitimize a price hike for consumers. Last month, Congressman Cleaver, along with Reps. Graves and Mark Alford (R-MO), introducedthe Pony Up Act to protect consumers by requiring the USPS to pay any late fees incurred on bills due to delayed delivery service.

Along with Senators Manchin and Collins, joining Congressman Cleaver in sending the letter to Postmaster General DeJoy were Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Peter Welch (D-VT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Angus King (I-ME), and Representatives Jared Golden (D-ME), Steve Womack (R-AR), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), Eric Sorensen (D-IL), Nikki Budzinski (D-IL), Jack Bergman (R-MI), Mark Alford (R-MO), Mike Ezell (R-MS), and Chris Pappas (D-NH).

The official letter from lawmakers is available 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, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.