KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Congressman Tim Burchett (R-Knoxville) is demanding answers over sudden changes and disruptions to the U.S. Postal Service as U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy agreed to appear before the U.S. House Oversight Committee next week.
In June, Louis DeJoy, a Republican donor and logistics company executive, took over as the new postmaster general, and President Donald Trump tasked him with trying to make the Postal Service more profitable.
Burchett said he previously supported calls by Trump to modernize and improve the efficiency of the USPS to make it more competitive.
Since taking over, DeJoy cut overtime, late delivery trips and other expenses that ensure mail arrives at its destination on time. Reports also came in last week that mail sorting machines and post boxes across the U.S. were being removed.
The result has been a national slowdown of mail, affecting countless people and businesses across the country who rely on the USPS to deliver time-sensitive mail and packages.
Rep. Burchett said in East Tennessee alone he has been made aware of "seeming arbitrary changes" at some of the busiest USPS locations in the area, which included reduced service hours and removal of postal drop boxes.
"While I appreciate Postmaster General DeJoy’s intentions to create a more efficient federal postal service, it is clear these changes are not actually making operations more efficient. Rather than improving operations, the Postmaster General’s changes are disrupting critical mail service for small business owners, seniors, veterans and everyday consumers in my district and across the country," he said.
Rep. Burchett sent a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy saying he was "frustrated" by the sudden changes and lack of open communication about it.
"These changes are causing significant frustration and difficulty for my constituents, with little benefit to postal operations to be seen," he said. "Personally, I am frustrated that you and your staff chose to make such changes without bothering to notify my office of the planned impact to my district's residents. Even today, my office tried to reach your staff to inquire about recent or proposed changes and have yet to receive a response."
You can read the full letter below.
The Postal Service is hoping for a $10 billion infusion from Congress to continue operating, but talks between Democrats and Republicans over a broad pandemic relief package that could have included that money have broken down.
On Thursday, President Trump frankly acknowledged that he’s starving the postal service of that money to make it harder to process an expected surge of mail-in ballots. Trump on Saturday attempted to re-calibrate his position. He said that he supports more funding for the postal service but refuses to capitulate to other parts of the Democrats' relief package — including funding for cash-strapped states.
Burchett said Monday House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called representatives back to Capitol Hill next week to vote on Postal Service issues, but criticized her for not calling for hearings on a broader pandemic relief package. He said he does not oppose the inclusion of USPS measures in future COVID-19 legislation.
"It’s unacceptable for the Speaker to narrow the House of Representative’s focus to just a single issue when we should be addressing the greater impact of the Coronavirus pandemic," he said.