November 27, 2024

Senator Warren, MA Delegation Demand USPS Addresses Postal Service Delays, Lost Mail, and Closed Post Offices in Massachusetts

“The United States Postal Service is failing our Massachusetts constituents”

Letter to the Post-Master General (PDF) | Letter to USPS Inspector General (PDF)

Washington, D.C. – Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) joined Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Representatives Richard Neal (D-Mass.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Lori Trahan (D-Mass.), Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.), Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) in sending letters to United States Postal Service (USPS) Inspector General Tammy Hull and USPS Postmaster General Louis DeJoy asking them to address delivery delays, lost mail, and closed post offices across Massachusetts. 

USPS refused to testify before a November 13 Boston City Council hearing on these matters. After this refusal, the lawmakers wrote to USPS Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to criticize management for its lack of accessibility and for repeatedly dismissing the concerns of Massachusetts communities. In the letter, the lawmakers asked for ZIP-code level data to better address the disparate impact that mail delivery delays are causing, particularly in communities of historical underinvestment in Boston. The lawmakers pointed out that populations across the Commonwealth rely on USPS for delivery and notifications related to medications, government services, and more.

“Proper postal service takes these differing lived experiences into account when ensuring that mail delivery is regular and frequent,” wrote the lawmakers. “We understand that proper mail delivery is a justice issue; we question whether you do.”

The lawmakers also called for a review of postal operations in Massachusetts and management decisions that have caused several urgent problems with daily mail delivery and closed postal facilities, including: mail delivery delays in Boston; closed post offices in Medway, Watertown, and Allston; lost mail in greater Boston; the proposed consolidation of the Brockton Processing and Distribution Center; and the USPS proposal for a rural mail delivery slowdown.

“For more than a year, we have observed a pattern of facility closures, consolidations, and slowed service resulting in delayed or lost mail for our constituents,” wrote the lawmakers. “Our efforts to address these concerns with USPS have been shrugged off by management. We write to ask that you conduct a review of the cause of these problems.”

The lawmakers requested a response by December 24, 2024.

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