WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH), a member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which has oversight over the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) joined their colleagues in urging Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to restore on-time mail delivery. Senator Hassan led negotiations to include $10 billion for the USPS in the COVID-19 relief and government funding package that was signed into law in December to help the agency address pandemic-related mail delays.

“Our constituents have experienced missed paychecks and court notices, delayed critical prescriptions, an inability to reach small business customers and suppliers, lost rent payments and delayed credit card payments resulting in late fees, breakdowns in service to their communities, late personal mail such as holiday packages, and more. Reportedly, mail delivery has not yet recovered after the peak season, with constituents continuing to experience delays despite the tireless efforts of postal workers,” wrote the Senators.

The Senators continued: “It is your duty, first and foremost, to protect service and ensure timely mail delivery for every person in this nation. We demand that you not make additional changes that will harm service for the American people. In addition, we urge you to be fully transparent with the public about Postal Service operations and the reasons they are still facing delays.”

Recent reports have also suggested Postmaster General DeJoy intends to implement a strategic plan that would further slow down the mail and unacceptably decrease service for millions of Americans who rely on the Postal Service.

The letter is part of Senators Hassan and Shaheen’s ongoing efforts to address mail delays and ensure that Granite Staters receive their mail in a timely fashion. Senator Hassan previously grilled Postmaster General DeJoy during a committee hearing last year over the significant and damaging operational changes that he made to the USPS that slowed mail delivery for Granite Staters. Additionally, in December, the Inspector General for the USPS released the findings of an investigation that Senator Hassan requested after she heard from Granite Staters about mail delays.

Senators Hassan and Shaheen have met with Postal Service employees and advocates regarding the issues the agency is facing. The Senators have also repeatedly called for Congress to provide financial relief to USPS during the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, Senator Shaheen filed an amicus brief with a group of Senators in support of legal challenges to operational changes implemented by USPS that have resulted in unreliable service and widespread delays.