By Robert M. Sarwark
Many in Georgia were left with a sense that U.S. Postal Service (USPS) delays had begun to suck “DeJoy” out of getting their mail delivered in May. This included the June issue of this newspaper. But perhaps more significantly, essential items such as prescriptions, legal documents, and Mother’s Day greetings went either greatly delayed or undelivered altogether.
In large part, the recent problems are due to a reconfiguration of the network of sorting centers operated by the USPS, which is currently led by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.
On April 16, at a U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) pressed DeJoy for answers regarding the extraordinary delays and other errors.
DeJoy responded, “Atlanta has been one of our worst [failures]… the Georgia area has been one of our worst served areas over the last 10 years, mostly because we had 10-12 different locations around the Atlanta area.” He noted that the reason for this was the transition from 11 sorting facilities to only 3.
Ossoff, a former Grant Park resident and frequent critic of DeJoy, released the following statement on May 17, after his office’s requests of DeJoy for more information were left unanswered:
“Postmaster General DeJoy’s refusal to cooperate with basic Senate oversight is baffling and disturbing. It suggests that in addition to being incompetent at delivering the mail on time, he doesn’t care about the Georgians in distress as a result of his incompetence. Prescriptions aren’t arriving. Bills aren’t getting paid. Ballots aren’t getting counted. I will continue fighting for the Georgians suffering from the Postmaster General’s failure. Further updates to come.”
Mr. DeJoy is a registered Republican and major GOP donor who was appointed by former President Trump. He was approved by the Senate in May of 2020. A former corporate executive in the for-profit logistics sector, DeJoy had zero experience in public service prior to his current appointment.
Unfortunately, The Porch Press can no longer reliably send payments to our printer, nor to the USPS itself, via mailed checks — we have switched to digital ACH (automated clearinghouse) payments. But this new method ensures that your paper arrives more or less on time in the middle of each month. Relying on the USPS for delivery of the paper itself is still necessary, as they are the most economical option for bulk mailing. Their rates are constantly rising, however, so donations from you, our readers, are more crucial than ever.
It appears that service has mostly returned to normal as of the time of this writing, but voicing concerns and problems to elected officials is still advised. Clearly, Senator Ossoff in particular has taken on this issue with zeal, though his attention may already be elsewhere.
We greatly appreciate your patience in May, as some subscribers reported over a month between shipment and delivery.
