Sen. Chris Coons is once again railing against the way Postmaster General Louis Dejoy is running the United States Postal Service - seeking moves to make it more efficient delivering mail, especially bills, medications, and other timely materials.
Speaking on the Senate Floor late Monday afternoon, Coons read complaints from Delaware residents about slow mail service after changes made by DeJoy in the last year.
Coons says since last April he has heard from 5,000 Delawareans asking for robust funding for the postal service, wanting stronger vote by mail initiatives, and hundreds reporting delays of their mail.
He read one complaint from a woman in Sussex County about mail delays.
"Gloria Lester down in Lewes in Sussex County said mail that previously took just three to four days is now taking her four to six weeks," said Coons. "Her bills are due before she even gets the statement, and her husband's VA medication took a month to arrive from the date it was mailed."
Coons spoke of another Sussex County resident in Selbyville who was down to his last heart medication pill, and his refill was tied up in the Wilmington Post Office for three weeks.
He says those were just a few examples.
"No farmer should ever have to open a box of dead chicks, no constituents should have to hand deliver a letter to their senator, our veterans shouldn't be going without life-saving medication," said Coons. "Postmaster DeJoy appeared before members of the House last week and apologized for the slow mail delivery and said he has a forthcoming plan, which I'm concerned includes further cuts to delivery service."
Coons believes the path to making the United State Postal Service more efficient is for the Senate to confirm President Biden’s three nominees to the Postal Service Board of Governors so they can select a new Postmaster General.
Only the board can make a change at Postmaster General, not the president.
