ATLANTA — As United States Sen. Jon Ossoff announced the use of federal resources for affordable housing in Georgia, he took a moment to address the recent USPS mail delays at the Palmetto facility.
Ossoff made the remarks at a news conference on Friday, where he urged answers from Postmaster General Louis DeJoy ahead of his testimony next week.
"The postmaster general owes answers to Georgians about the unacceptable performance at the Palmetto facility," Sen. Ossoff said.
The postmaster is expected to testify in front of the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. His testimony comes on the hills of complaints of mail delays in major metropolitan areas, including Atlanta, Houston and Richmond, continue.
11Alive has received overwhelming responses from viewers about the missing items that have impacted their lives.
Hundreds of Georgians have complained about how the issues have delayed critical medications, impacted business revenue, and caused residents to fall behind on their bills.
"It is the responsibility of the US Postal Service to deliver mail on time," Sen. Ossoff said. "Let me just say that postal workers across Georgia are working their hearts out every day to deliver mail. This is about management, this is about leadership, this is about leadership of the USPS at a national level."
Ossoff and other members of the Georgia Congressional delegation have been speaking out on delays for weeks, the problems believed to be attributed to the launch of metro Atlanta's new Regional Process & Distribution Center, which officially opened on Feb. 24 in Palmetto.
"So I think that the postmaster general should expect that when he comes and testifies before the Homeland Security Committee on Tuesday, he will have some very tough questions from me on behalf of Georgia residents who are disappointed in his performance," Ossoff added.
While a spokesperson for USPS maintains that operations are improving, the postal service has yet to provide clarification on the root causes of the delays or any answers to 11Alive's questions about operations at the facility or when customers can expect operations to return to normal.
11Alive News is hearing from customers who are experiencing issues submitting a ‘missing mail search request.’ We’re aware of these problems and requested more information from USPS on next steps.
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.