Brown, Senate Dems Demand Answers from Postmaster General on Mail Service Delays

Brown Signed Onto Two Letters Pressing Postmaster General On Cause Of Significant Delays

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) joined his Senate Democratic colleagues in penning two letters calling for answers from Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on reports of mail service delays due to operational changes he directed. These changes are preventing Americans from receiving critical mail on-time, including prescription drugs, business mail, and mail-in ballots. These delays have caused seniors and veterans to miss their prescription medications, small businesses to lose money and customers over delayed packages, and other serious disruptions that affect communities in Ohio and across the country who count on the Postal Service for timely delivery.

In the first letter, the senators urged DeJoy to address reports of veterans experiencing significant delays in receiving their prescription medication through the U.S. Postal Service. VA fills about 80 percent of its prescriptions through their Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy (CMOP), which primarily uses the U.S. Postal Service to deliver to veterans’ homes. VA’s CMOP fills almost 120 million prescriptions a year, with deliveries arriving daily to about 330,000 veterans across the country.

“Veterans and the VA should be able to count on USPS for the timely delivery of essential prescription drugs,” the senators wrote in their first letter. “No veteran should have to wonder when their antidepressant or blood pressure medication may arrive – and the effects can be devastating if doses are missed.” 

In the second letter, the senators called on DeJoy to testify before Congress and provide clear, transparent answers on these service delays. 

“In the weeks since you began to implement these changes, we have seen a steep increase in constituent concerns about mail delays, including restricted mail movement, limitations on carriers’ abilities to timely deliver mail, and most concerning, risks to receipt of critical mail involving life-saving medication and ballots for the upcoming general election,” the senators wrote in their second letter.

Senator Brown has fought to protect the Postal Service and its 245-year tradition of reliable, timely delivery from Trump and his Administration. Last week, Brown joined his Democratic colleagues in sending a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy asking for answers regarding reports of recent changes to long-standing practices at USPS that would increase delivery times and costs for election mail. In the letter, the senators urged DeJoy not to take any further action that makes it harder and more expensive for states and election jurisdictions to mail ballots.

A copy of the first letter, led by Sens. Peters (D-MI) and Tester (D- MT), can be found here.

A copy of the second letter, led by Sen. Peters (D-MI), can be found here.