Delaware’s Congressional delegation called on the United States Postal Service to take action following the release of Office of the Inspector General reports on mail processing in Delaware and Philadelphia.
Reports by businesses and individuals over delays and failure to deliver mail have been widespread in Delaware.
Last summer, Sens. Tom Carper, Chris Coons and Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester, and their Pennsylvania colleagues sent a letter to local Postal Service leadership demanding answers on service delays. Following the letter, the OIG conducted an audit evaluating the efficiency of operations at the Delaware Processing and Distribution Center, and the Philadelphia Processing and Distribution Center.
The office audited mail delivery, customer service, and property conditions at three post offices in northern Delaware: Marshallton, Edgemoor and Lancaster Avenue.
On Friday, the Inspector General’s office issued a final audit report on the Delaware Processing and Distribution Center, along with interim audit reports on the Marshallton, Edgemoor and Lancaster Ave. post offices. A final audit report for the Marshallton, Edgemoor, and Lancaster Ave. facilities will be released in the coming weeks and will contain the OIG’s recommendations for how these facilities can improve their operations and better serve customers in northern Delaware.
According to a joint release, audit reports issued by the USPS office indicate that Postal Service workforce shortages and insufficient management oversight and training have contributed to significant mail delays in northern Delaware.
According to the reports, tens of thousands of letters and packages were found delayed at the audited facilities, and misses in package scanning practices left customers unable to determine the actual status of the packages they expected to receive. The report also highlighted safety and security concerns at audited facilities that increase the risk of mail theft, the risk of injury for Postal Service workers and customers, and related costs.
“The Postal Service’s core mission is to provide reliable, affordable, and universal mail service to every community in our nation. That is why it’s important we as members of Congress ensure it is operating efficiently and thoroughly. When the Postal Service falls short of its duties, it means a senior citizen might not get their life-sustaining medication, and bills might not be paid on time,” Carper, Coons and Blunt Rochester. stated in a release. “We thank the Office of the Inspector General for their work auditing these postal facilities and making recommendations for the Delaware Processing and Distribution Center to improve its work, and look forward to the OIG’s additional recommendations for the Marshallton, Edgemoor and Lancaster Ave. post offices in the coming weeks. We urge the Postal Service to address these issues without delay.”
In 2020, following reports from USPS staff, Coons found an electronic mail sorting machine that had been removed on placed on a dock exposed to the elements at a mail handling site. The discovery came over concerns of mailing delays during the 2020 election and the role of the current USPS chief who had warned of delays. President Trump claimed mail-in voting would lead to fraud.
There were also reports of other mail-handling equipment being removed as well as central mailboxes. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy claimed the actions came in response to the decline in the volume of mail.
