West STL News

Representatives Ann Wagner (MO-02), Sam Graves (MO-06), Jason Smith (MO-08), and Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) have formally requested an audit of the Hazelwood, MO, Sorting and Distribution Center. In a letter addressed to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, they called for the United States Postal Service (USPS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) to examine failures in delivering election mail on time and to provide clarity on a new USPS proposal that could further delay mail in rural areas.

“The bottom line is that our constituents depend on USPS and cannot afford these continued failures,” the lawmakers wrote. “Submitting a plan to further delay mail deliveries for rural Americans while continuing to increase postage rates because USPS leadership cannot effectively run their operation is totally unacceptable. Quite simply, Americans don’t want to pay more for worse service.”

The representatives expressed concern over the current state of USPS operations: “While we are all incredibly thankful for the vital service that our letter carriers provide, we are concerned that their hands are tied because of unacceptable failures occurring at Sorting and Delivery Centers due to ineffective USPS leadership. It defies common sense that there is anyone in USPS leadership that can still honestly believe the best path forward is to further consolidate operations at these failing Sorting and Delivery Centers without any real plan to improve service.”

The letter also requests details on how USPS plans to address unreliable mail service in Eastern Missouri, recent absentee ballot issues, and measures to rectify these problems before the November election. Additionally, it seeks information on how the proposed changes will impact each Post Office in the region.

You can read the full letter here.