(Washington, DC) — U.S. Congressman Ed Case (D-Hawai‘i-First District) has led an effort that highlighted problems with mail delivery to Hawai‘i and U.S. territories, prompting the United States Postal Service (USPS) to undertake corrective actions that “will improve the timely and accurate processing and transportation of mail that is designed for deliver in areas outside the 48 contiguous states.”
The move by the USPS came after Case initiated a bipartisan letter co-signed by several of his U.S. House colleagues to Postmaster General David Steiner expressing concern over what they referred to as “persistent delays and service disruptions” with the United States Postal Service (USPS) Ground Advantage service to noncontiguous areas of the country, including the Pacific and Caribbean.
The shipping option, launched two years ago, was intended to offer a more simplified and more affordable and expedited delivery service for packages up to 70 pounds. However, it has been plagued by delivery delays and tracking inaccuracies.
Joining Case on his letter to the USPS Postmaster were Congresswoman Jill Tokuda (D-Hawai‘i-Second District), Congresswoman Kimberlyn King-Hinds (R-Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas), Congresswoman Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen (R-American Samoa), Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett (D-U.S. Virgin Islands) and Congressman James Moylan (R-Guam).
“Reliable mail service is a necessity — especially in our rural and remote communities, and our constituents should not be forced to endure unfair delays and poor service. The United States Postal Service has acknowledged errors with their Ground Advantage service to non-contiguous areas and is committing to changes that will directly benefit our families, businesses, and consumers,” said Congresswoman Tokuda.
“I’m proud to join my colleagues on this bipartisan effort giving constituents the fairness they deserve. USPS’s corrective actions and renewed focus on delivery performance are important steps to ensure equitable and dependable mail service for every American regardless of their ZIP code.”
“The Virgin Islands and our fellow noncontiguous territories have endured unacceptable postal delays that directly impact our families’ daily lives and hinder our businesses from competing in the national economy,” said Congresswoman Plaskett.
“The U.S. Postal Service’s acknowledgment that Priority Mail and lightweight Ground Advantage packages were improperly sent by sea instead of air validates what our constituents have been reporting for months.
“While I welcome these corrective measures and new validation procedures, we will continue our bipartisan oversight to ensure that geographic realities never become an excuse for substandard service—all Americans deserve reliable, timely postal delivery regardless of where they live.”
“Slow services cause more challenges and can add costs to our small businesses and island economy. It’s important to see improvements, and this is bipartisan work to ensure the quality postal services our people deserve. Thank you to Congressman Case and my colleagues for unity on this effort,” said Congresswoman Radewagen.
“For too long, Guam has faced unacceptable delays in mail delivery that directly impact our veterans, families, and small businesses. These aren’t just logistical hiccups—they’re real-life consequences, especially when prescriptions for our veterans arrive weeks late,” said Congressman Moylan.
“I’m grateful to Congressman Case for leading this bipartisan effort and to my colleagues for standing united in demanding accountability. The USPS’s commitment to corrective action is a step forward, but we will continue to push for lasting solutions that treat Guam, Hawai‘i, and all U.S. non-contiguous areas with the same urgency and respect as the mainland. Our communities deserve nothing less.”
In their letter, Case and his House colleagues said: “These significant delays are first patently unfair to our noncontiguous areas. They also create several practical problems for both consumers and businesses, especially when return windows have already expired by the time packages finally arrive.
“In response to the reliability problems with Ground Advantage, some sellers have opted to offer Priority Mail at an additional fee to guarantee timely delivery. This defeats the purpose of Ground Advantage, which was designed to provide a more affordable shipping alternative.”
In response to the letter from Case and his House colleagues, the USPS undertook a review which “found that some offshore destinating mail with a service standard requiring air transportation was incorrectly transported by sea. Specifically, the review determined that some Priority Mail items and lightweight Ground Advantage packages were improperly placed in mail containers for sea transportation.”
The USPS response continued: “To correct these errors, headquarters officials instructed management at relevant processing facilities to validate package processing flows to ensure parcels destinating to offshore locations are correctly transported.
“Specifically, these processing facilities have been instructed to validate and certify procedures for combining lightweight Ground Advantage items with Priority Mail items for air transportation to offshore destinations.”
The USPS apologized for the delays and recognized that Hawai‘i and the U.S. territories “rely on the Postal Service for efficient and effective service. It is always our goal to meet their expectations, and it is disappointing to us when we fail to do so.”
Attachments:
1. Response from USPS is here
2. Letter from Congressman Case and his colleagues to the Postmaster General is here
