Ossoff says mail delays 'devastating for Georgians' after touring Palmetto facility

ATLANTA - Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff toured the postal service's infamous Palmetto sorting facility on Tuesday afternoon to get a firsthand look at the problems there. 

That facility has been the source of countless headaches across North Georgia leading to lost packages, medications, letters - and confidence in the USPS. 

The regional facility opened in February and was supposed to make things easier, but it’s done the exact opposite.  

"USPS is letting Georgians down," Sen. Ossoff said. "It is my role, it is my obligation, it is my duty to hold them accountable." 

While cameras weren't allowed in, Sen. Ossoff says he came here to apply the pressure on the people in charge. 

Ossoff got an inside look at the postal service’s disastrous rollout of its regional processing facility in Palmetto. The post office did not let the press in with him. He says the problems here fall on the shoulders of the people calling the shots. 

"It was not properly planned for," Senator Ossoff said. "It was not properly managed, there was no one in charge, and the results have been devastating for Georgians." 

That poor management he says is on the shoulders of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.  

Sen. Jon Ossoff grills Postmaster General Louis DeJoy during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on April 16, 2024.

A few weeks ago, he slammed DeJoy’s actions as "baffling and disturbing." 

When FOX 5 asked Ossoff if DeJoy should get the boot, he said he doesn't have the power to do so.  

"The Postmaster General can only be fired by the board of governors and the Postal Service," Sen. Ossoff said. "I have extraordinarily low confidence in the Postmaster General based on the incompetent management." 

The post office claims things are slowly getting better. Since March, it says first class performance has improved 30 percent: 

"While we are not entirely satisfied with the current levels, this positive trend indicates the challenges we faced in March are being actively addressed." 

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"I’ll believe it when I see it," Sen. Ossoff said. "I’m looking for results and sustained results." 

With the presidential election right around the corner – he thinks absentee voters should take a posture of trust but verify. 

"I would encourage folks to plan to vote by mail to do so as early as possible and to vigilantly monitor the progress of their ballots," Senator Ossoff said. 

DeJoy has committed to getting things in order -- meaning back to pre-Palmetto performance rates – by the middle of June.  

FOX 5 Atlanta has received dozens of phone calls and messages from residents who have had items lost in the mail or severely delayed, often resulting in bills not being paid or other financial difficulties.