WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressmen Steny Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Anthony Brown, Jamie Raskin, and David Trone released the following statement after a virtual meeting held on Monday by the Congressional delegation with U.S. Postal Service (USPS) officials about the major mail delivery problems affecting Maryland communities throughout the state.

The Congressional delegation requested the meeting to shed light on the lost mail and costly delays that have harmed Marylanders, especially seniors, small businesses, state and local governments, and rural communities that rely on the USPS for timely, daily deliveries. The delegation has joined together on multiple letters to top national and regional postal service leadership about Maryland’s mail issues.

“We have serious concerns about Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s ‘restructuring’ plans, which have significantly slowed delivery times, undermined hardworking letter carriers, and degraded public trust in the Postal Service. As a delegation, we want the USPS to succeed in its mission and have the resources necessary to meet the performance standards Americans have come to expect. Marylanders rely on the timely delivery of mail and packages – especially amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” the lawmakers said in response to the meeting.

“Maryland has experienced one of the worst postal backlogs in the country, and there are no excuses for the widespread breakdown of mail delivery. The USPS was ill-prepared for the increased volume and ended up putting letters and packages in trailers because it lacked sufficient dock and platform space at its distribution facilities. The mail got stuck there. The pandemic may have been novel, but the December holidays mail increase was highly predictable,” they added. “The USPS, in Maryland and beyond, must do a better job anticipating local and national surges in volume. We will be following Maryland delivery performance and expect regular reports showing significant improvements, returning delivery to acceptable standards in every community across our state. We will not stop fighting for our constituents until these problems are addressed.”

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