Sen. Jon Ossoff and a bipartisan panel of U.S. senators questioned Postmaster General Louis DeJoy during a Senate hearing Tuesday on U.S. Postal Service delays.
Just 36% of mail is delivered on time in Georgia, Ossoff said. The Palmetto Distribution Center, which opened in February and services Georgia, Alabama and Florida, is one of several USPS centers experiencing delays following consolidation of some mail services.
Ossoff pressed DeJoy for answers on delays and what USPS is doing to fix them.
“You don’t have months to fix 36% of the mail being delivered on time,” Ossoff said. “I’ve got constituents with prescriptions that aren’t being delivered. I’ve got constituents who can’t pay their rent and their mortgages. I’ve got businesses who aren’t able to ship products or receive supplies.”
DeJoy said many of the issues stem from staffing and machinery delays, but officials are working on solutions.
“The team is working, working very hard,” DeJoy said about the Palmetto facility. “And I can assure you that in the long — in the long run, right, that you will have the, probably, the best service.”
Ossoff doubled down and said that delays need to be fixed quickly.
“The long run is too long,” he said. “You’ve got weeks, not months. You’ve got weeks, not months, to fix this.”
“I don’t think you’re fit for this job,” Ossoff said.
The Senate inquiry into USPS is still ongoing.
This article appears on Now Habersham in partnership with GPB News
