(This excerpt is from an article first reported on Federal News Radio September 20, 2017. Written by: Jory Heckman)
The U.S. Postal Service has caught the ire of three senators looking for answers — and possibly for heads to roll — after a watchdog report found the agency significantly underreported late mail delivery.
In a letter to Postmaster General Megan Brennan, Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) urged the Postal Service to “take immediate action” after the Office of Inspector General reported in August that USPS had underreported about 2 billion pieces of mail nationwide over the course of a year.
News of the delayed mail delivery should come as no surprise to the senators, who have previously complained about the timeliness of delivery in rural parts of their respective states. Constituents from Missouri have submitted “numerous photographic examples of mail sitting in bins waiting to be delivered,” despite records showing it had been sent, while Heitkamp’s office has collected hundreds of mail service complaints through its Fix My Mail initiative.
“The mail continues to be a vital lifeline in rural American and the dependence on this service as a way to deliver goods as well as connect individuals, communities and businesses demands that it be a reliable and accurate mode of delivery,” the senators wrote. (Click HERE for the rest of the story.)