Royal Examiner – 11/23/24 – U.S. Postal Service operations have continued to improve, but a bipartisan coalition of state leaders say more work is needed to get the service to a level Virginians deserve.
Virginia was ranked at the bottom for on-time mail delivery in October 2023, at the start of the federal government’s fiscal year. Just over 66% of mail was delivered on time, compared to a national average of 87.2%, according to a Postal Service tracker.
Key reforms have pushed the state up in rankings. The state remained in the bottom 10 at the end of the fiscal year in September, with just over 81% of mail delivered on time.
As of Nov. 8, over 86% of the state’s mail is delivered on time.
The Delivering for America plan was introduced in 2021 to make the Postal Service financially stable and competitive with private mail delivery services. One part of the plan was the launch of a new processing network, with 60 regional processing and distribution centers around the U.S.
The first one was rolled out in Sandston, Virginia in 2023, and a spate of issues began.
A bipartisan coalition of state lawmakers, who represent urban and rural areas, contacted Postmaster General Louis DeJoy last year to share widespread constituent reports of limited delivery.
Earlier this year, the coalition toured the Sandston center after an audit pointed to significant problems at the location.
State lawmakers will continue to hold the Postal Service accountable until reliable mail service is restored for all Virginians, according to U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman, R-1st.
The work of the bipartisan coalition to support Virginia constituents has been a “silver lining” in the experience, according to Wittman. He sent one of the first letters to DeJoy, worked with the coalition to demand answers, toured the Sandston facility and continues to receive updates from the Postal Service.
“While any improvement in on-time mail delivery is welcome progress, there’s much more work to be done to attain the level of reliable mail service that Virginians deserve,” Wittman stated. “For over a year now, the mail service provided to Virginians and businesses across the Commonwealth has been inexcusable, and the lack of transparency and communication by the Postal Service has been one of the most frustrating roadblocks I have faced since coming to Congress.” – Reaad more at the Royal Examiner
Also reported in this article:
Second Trump Push for Privatization ‘Unlikely’
Some members of the congressional delegation feel confident there would be pushback if returning President-elect Donald Trump tried again to privatize the service.
Trump called for the privatization of the Postal Service in his first term [PEN: We do not believe President Trump actually made a call to privatize USPS – see below]. A year after his inauguration, Trump created a task force to evaluate the service’s operations and finances, according to his archived presidential website. Trump stated it was on an “unsustainable financial path” and wanted it restructured to prevent a taxpayer-funded bailout.
The Postal Service had net losses that totaled $69 billion in a 10-year period, according to the task force. Some suggestions of the task force were to deliver mail less frequently and increase service charges.
PEN: Over and over, we have read from the national news media, and unions, that President Trump made calls to privatize USPS during his first term in office. Maybe we’re overlooking this, but we cannot find where he actually made such a request. Yes, he did form a task to recommend how to save USPS. If you can find a link to where he actually said privatize USPS, please submit the link in the comment section. Here is his Executive Order requesting the investigation, and here are the results of the task force investigation.
I am not incorrect. As was pointed out before, and you can google it, the proposal was contained in the Trump administration’s white house plan for reshaping the federal bureaucracy. It is called “Delivering Government Solutions in the 21st Century” Look it up. On page 68 it states:
“USPS can no longer support the obligations created by its enormous infrastructure and personnel requirements,”
It suggested that the Postal Service should be restructured “to return it to a sustainable business model or prepare it for future conversion from a government agency into a privately-held corporation.”
It is disingenuous to state that the information I sent was incorrect, it is literately in the white house plan.
Dee – you are quoting the recommendations from the task force that was formed – NOT what President Trump said. Executive Order 13781— “Comprehensive Plan for Reorganizing the Executive Branch” – written by Pres. Trump – states:
“By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United
States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1. Purpose. This order is intended to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and
accountability of the executive branch by directing the Director of the Office of Management and
Budget (Director) to propose a plan to reorganize governmental functions and eliminate
unnecessary agencies (as defined in section 551(1) of title 5, United States Code), components of
agencies, and agency programs.”
You can find that here: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/DCPD-201700167/pdf/DCPD-201700167.pdf
This order created the task force and then this task force made the recommendation that you’re quoting.
The proposal was contained in the Trump administration’s white house plan for reshaping the federal bureaucracy. It is called “Delivering Government Solutions in the 21st Century”
“USPS can no longer support the obligations created by its enormous infrastructure and personnel requirements,”
It suggested that the Postal Service should be restructured “to return it to a sustainable business model or prepare it for future conversion from a government agency into a privately-held corporation.”
You can google the report, the section on the postal service is on page 68.
That is inaccurate – President Trump ordered the formation of a Task Force to see what their findings would be. The quote you state is from The Task Force report – NOT President Trump. I can find no evidence or instance where President Trump personally recommended privatizing USPS. His order is here: https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-task-force-united-states-postal-system/
This service improvement is only temporary and is a function of extra staff and / or the use of overtime because of the election. It remains to be seen if these measures will remain during peak season. Make no mistake, the USPS knows all eyes are on the areas that rolled out mega plants and the poor service that followed. These plants are designed to run with less staffing and don’t expect the USPS to deviate from this plan. Factor in the inordinate amount of sick calls occurring in these plants, and it’s clear that the USPS is facing an uphill battle.