ATLANTA — Editor's note: The video above is from an earlier update on mail delays at Atlanta's Palmetto USPS facility.
Sen. Jon Ossoff is once again urging the U.S. Postal Service to provide updates regarding mail delays impacting Georgia residents and businesses.
On April 16, Sen. Ossoff questioned Postmaster General Louis DeJoy during a committee hearing on the delays. DeJoy stated, "I think we'll get to where we need to be in about 60 days."
Now, as that 60-day mark approaches, Ossoff is requesting an update to see whether or not the Postal Service will be able to meet its goal and restore service.
“I want to reiterate that it is urgent that the performance of USPS delivery in Georgia improve immediately. Georgians are tired of waiting. They deserve better,” Ossoff wrote to DeJoy. “And as I have repeatedly said, postal workers working diligently every day to deliver the mail on time deserve the infrastructure and management competence to enable them to do so. As the chief executive officer of USPS, it is incumbent on you to provide that leadership.”
Back in May, Ossoff toured the troubled Palmetto facility and reiterated his mission to continue pushing for "maximum pressure" on DeJoy.
The U.S. senator described what he saw in the facility as "no obvious, immediately apparent, and highly visible examples of malfunction."
Ossoff said he believes the delays are a "failure of a transition across this region, which centralizes this facility," referring to the Delivering for American rollout.
"It was not properly planned for, it was not properly managed, there was no one in charge, and the results have been devastating for Georgians," the senator added.
On Monday, Rep. Mike Collins, Rep. Austin Scott and Rep. Andrew Clyde toured the facility.
Following the tour, the group seemed hopeful that conditions might improve soon. They shared that they believe poor communication may have led to the facility's downfall in its first few months of being open. Rep. Scott of Georgia’s 8th district said he believed that improvement was happening.
“I think ultimately, in the next several weeks, we’ll have not just a solution, but a system that much better serves the American citizens,” Rep. Scott said.
Rep. Mike Collins shared that USPS officials believe first-class mail delays should return to 90% on-time deliveries and that “things may be back up, a little better, in the next six to eight weeks.”
According to the latest USPS data from mid-May, just over 60% of first-class deliveries were on time, compared to the goal of 92.5%.
Those experiencing delays or who have not received mail can contact the newsroom with your concerns as we continue to cover this story. Fill out our online form below, and someone from our news team will follow up with you.