ATLANTA (AP) — Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia said Wednesday he wants Congress to have more control over the selection of the U.S. postmaster general after a breakdown in the Postal Service in his state.
Ossoff's proposed Postmaster General Reform Act would require the U.S. Senate to confirm a president's nomination for the role. Currently, the position is appointed by the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors without congressional confirmation. The legislation would also allow postmasters general to serve for a maximum of two five-year terms. The position currently has no term limits.
“The execution debacle by the United States Postal Service in Georgia is the result of failed leadership and failed management, and it reflects the incompetent leadership and incompetent management of the Postmaster General himself,” Ossoff said at a news conference Wednesday.
Lawmakers in every state have criticized DeJoy for his management of the Postal Service. The legislation comes as DeJoy has sought to quell concerns from election officials across the country that the postal system is unprepared for a flood of mail-in votes ahead of the November election.
Georgia lawmakers have blamed operational problems at the post office in suburban Atlanta for many of the state's delivery woes. USPS has consolidated several offices into one in Palmetto, which should make the delivery process more efficient.
Similar hubs were created in Richmond, Virginia, and Portland, Oregon, as the Postal Service tried to deal with nationwide delivery delays and financial losses. First-class mail volume has fallen 80% since 1997 as packaged shipments have increased, leading to $87 billion in losses from 2007 to 2020.
But Georgia was ranked as the worst-performing state in a Postal Service service performance report for the second quarter of 2024, which tracked transit time for mail deliveries. Ossoff has frequently pressed DeJoy for updates on how he plans to improve the agency’s operations, a concern that has been echoed by some Republican members of Georgia’s U.S. House of Representatives.
“This is about whether seniors get their medications in the mail,” Ossoff said Wednesday. “This is about whether citizens get important notices from the court — notices to appear, eviction notices. This is about whether small businesses can operate. Quality mail service cannot be a luxury. It is a necessity.”
After the Palmetto facility opened, delivery rates dropped. Georgia saw a 90% on-time delivery rate for first-class mail for most of 2023. That rate dropped below 40% in March, but has since rebounded to above 80%.
Ossoff visited Palmetto in June. He called DeJoy poor management for having to relocate employees from all over the state to the Palmetto location.
DeJoy told local leaders he planned to hire more staff and noted that mail delivery in the state was improving.
Ossoff said Wednesday that Georgians deserve better and expects the legislation to have bipartisan support.
“This is a job of such importance that there needs to be a real interview with the people who are elected by the people to confirm the most important officials in the federal government,” Ossoff said.
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Charlotte Kramon is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues. Follow Kramon on X: @charlottekramon
