ATLANTA — Sen. Jon Ossoff reiterated his demands Monday that U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy provide answers on mail delays and the most recent statistics showing how much of the metro Atlanta region's mail is actually being delivered on time.
"He owes me answers," Sen. Ossoff said to reporters.
Ossoff wrote a letter to DeJoy last Thursday asking for "the current on-time delivery statistics in the metro Atlanta area within one week."
That one-week deadline arrives this Thursday, May 16 -- and Ossoff expects it to be met.
"The postmaster general has one job -- deliver the mail on time," the Democratic senator said. "He is failing the people of Georgia, he owes me answers this week on his progress solving this problem. And as I said at the committee a few weeks ago: If he can't solve this problem, I don't think he deserves this job."
Ossoff, in those comments, referenced a Senate committee hearing in April in which he was unsparing in his critique of DeJoy and the delays that have from the February opening of a new centralized mail processing facility in Palmetto serving the metro Atlanta and north Georgia region.
"You've got weeks, not months, to fix this. And if you don't fix it, 36% on time delivery, I don't think you're fit for this job," he said, referencing the on-time delivery rate.
At the hearing, DeJoy acknowledged he had not read a previous letter sent from Ossoff.
"Let me just give you a friendly piece of advice -- you personally should read letters from members of the U.S. Senate committee that funds and oversees your operations, particularly where you are failing abysmally to fulfil your core mission in my state," Ossoff said.
11Alive has been tracking on-time rates for First Class mail for weeks. Operations are slowly improving but the on-time rate for all First Class mail still remains below 70%. Meanwhile, only 44% of single-piece letters are being processed on time.
11Alive has also reached out to USPS to see whether they've responded to Ossoff's inquiry.
Sen. Jon Ossoff full May 9 letter
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