Statement: USPS decision to suspend service changes is a start

Postmaster general must now undo the damage already done

U.S. PIRG

WASHINGTON — Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced Tuesday that he is suspending operational changes he’d made to the United States Postal Service (USPS) until after the November presidential election. The recently implemented changes were designed to cut costs but have caused delays to mail service in many parts of the country. This development raised concerns that the USPS would not be able to deliver critical election mail on time. 

In the statement, DeJoy also pledged that USPS retail hours will not change; mail processing equipment and blue collection boxes will remain where they are; and no mail processing facilities will be closed. However, he did not commit to reinstating previously made cuts to services.

In response, U.S. PIRG Democracy for the People Director Joe Ready made the following statement:

“The changes Postmaster General DeJoy instituted created significant disruption in USPS service at a time when the postal service is more essential than ever for safely delivering everything from paychecks to ballots. Making those alterations during the crush of the COVID-19 pandemic created a danger to both our health and our democracy. 

“Suspending them is the right decision, but it must only be a first step. The postmaster general must now also commit to restoring reliable, timely service and to undoing the harms already inflicted on our mail system. 

“Beyond that, the fact that service cutting measures were even considered, much less implemented, during this pandemic is an indictment of Congress’s failure to provide adequate funding for this vital public service. U.S. PIRG calls on Congress to provide the postal service with the necessary funding to continue full operations. 

“The USPS is one of our nation’s oldest and most beloved institutions and must be treated accordingly.”

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U.S. PIRG, the federation of state Public Interest Research Groups, is a consumer group that stands up to powerful interests whenever they threaten our health and safety, our financial security, or our right to fully participate in our democratic society.

U.S. PIRG affiliates: Arizona PIRG, CALPIRG, CoPIRG, ConnPIRG, Florida PIRG, Georgia PIRG, Iowa PIRG, Illinois PIRG, MASSPIRG, Maryland PIRG, PIRGIM, MoPIRG, MontPIRG, NCPIRG, NHPIRG, NJPIRG, NMPIRG, Ohio PIRG, OSPIRG, PennPIRG, RIPIRG, TexPIRG, WashPIRG, WISPIRG.

U.S. PIRG is part of The Public Interest Network, which operates and supports organizations committed to a shared vision of a better world and a strategic approach to getting things done.