Ossoff: 'Further improvements' needed for Georgia's mail delays
Stacks of boxes holding cards and letters are seen at the U.S. Post Office sort center in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
PALMETTO, Ga. - Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff continues to pressure USPS Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to improve mail delivery services in the Peach State.
On Wednesday, Ossoff met with DeJoy to discuss ongoing issues and improvement plans at the troubled Palmetto Regional Processing and Distribution Center.
Ossoff's office told FOX 5 that the senator told the postmaster general that he's still hearing about delays from Georgia residents and insisted more improvements are still needed.
"For months, I have sustained relentless pressure on USPS management to fully resolve disastrous performance failures impacting my constituents in Georgia. I’m still hearing from Georgia families and businesses about the difficulty they continue to face sending and receiving their mail, which is why I met today with Postmaster General DeJoy to again reiterate the need for further improvements and greater transparency. I will not rest until my constituents are well and fully served by the U.S. Postal Service," Sen. Ossoff said in a statement after the meeting.
The meeting comes just days after the United States Postal Service released its performance report for the second quarter of 2024, which found Georgia named the worst of the worst with a score of 63.70 out of 100.
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The scores are based on First Class Single Piece mail arriving on time with a two-day service standard. The national average score is 86.8, while USPS's target score is 93.
The slow mail issue in Georgia, particularly in the metro Atlanta area, has been a significant problem due to the consolidation of multiple mail processing facilities into a single Palmetto facility. This consolidation, part of the USPS's "Delivering for America" plan aimed at modernizing operations and reducing costs, caused widespread delays and service disruptions.
Residents have reported missing or delayed mail, including critical items like medication, tax returns, and absentee ballots. The on-time delivery rate for first-class mail in Georgia plummeted to as low as 42% in March, down from 81% in February. The delays have been attributed to various operational challenges and bottlenecks at the new facility.
In response to these issues, Ossoff and Sen. Raphael Warnock, along with other local leaders, have demanded swift action from DeJoy. Earlier this week, Warnock requested DeJoy provide new information on how USPS plans to make sure that mail-in ballots are delivered in a timely manner.
DeJoy has outlined several steps to address the problems, including bringing in additional staff to rectify bottlenecks, revising transportation schedules, and increasing local trips to improve service.
In mid-June, DeJoy provided data that he said showed that mail service is recovering in the state in response to a letter from Ossoff.