LAKEVILLE, Minn. — Persistent mail delivery issues in Minnesota have prompted action from the state's Congressional leaders.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Rep. Angie Craig both sent letters to U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy late last week, demanding answers about delayed service. Klobuchar cited "significant" issues in the Duluth and Twin Cities areas, while Craig said some constituents reported not receiving mail for two weeks.
"These delays do not just mean residents have gone without holiday gifts, but that they are not receiving federal checks, business mail, medications, and paychecks that they rely on for their health and livelihoods," Klobuchar wrote. "I appreciate the hard work that Minnesota postal workers do to deliver mail, especially with increased mail volume during the holidays and in the face of winter storms and road closures. Staffing shortages have made their jobs more difficult, and these shortages continue to be a significant cause for mail delays in Minnesota."
Craig, meanwhile, wrote to the Postmaster General with "great frustration."
"The United States Postal Service's creed reads, 'Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night,' and yet seniors and veterans are going without medication, businesses are missing payments and families are not receiving packages from loved ones during the holiday season," Craig wrote. "This is entirely unacceptable."
A spokesperson for USPS said Monday the Postal Service "will review the concerns raised by Sen. Klobuchar and Rep. Craig and will respond directly to them."
Luke Hellier, a current Lakeville city council member and the mayor-elect, said that he and Rep. Craig will tour the Lakeville post office later this month to inspect conditions. He said that the city has offered to provide staff to help USPS with sorting, although the postal service has not responded to that proposal.
Hellier said even his own mail has been delayed at times.
"This is not what I necessarily call a holiday bottleneck. This is an issue that's been going on for several months," he said. "Most of the feedback I've gotten through phone or email, is seniors who rely on medication through the mail who aren't getting it, or business owners who are worried that the bills are not coming in or going out."
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