MINNEAPOLIS — Following numerous complaints of delayed and unreliable mail service, U.S. Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar have requested that the Inspector General of the United States Postal Service (USPS) conduct a full audit of the Minnesota-North Dakota District.
"We believe it is time for the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to investigate the dysfunction of the MN-ND District," wrote the senators in their news release.
Last week, the USPS Inspector General began auditing four south metro locations, including branches in Apple Valley and Eagan, the New Brighton Carrier Annex and the Saint Paul Processing and Distribution Center, after receiving several complaints from customers.
In Tuesday's formal request, the senators want the investigation to reveal if the postal service's data on deliveries in the MN-ND District is accurate. The request wants answers to staffing and recruitment.
"Did the district adequately work to hire seasonal workers for the peak holiday season, especially in communities like Rochester, Duluth, and Bemidji, where there are frequent disruptions around the peak season?," according to the release.
The senators' request also focuses on finding where the service disruptions have been most prevalent and the current capacity of workers and infrastructure.
"Even more concerning is that attempts to elevate the concerns of Minnesotans to the USPS have either been dismissed or met with assurances that everything is fine—that the reports of our constituents are incorrect," wrote the senators in their news release. "This lack of transparency deepens our concern that the serious issues in the MN-ND district are not receiving adequate attention."
