The purpose of the tour was to shed light on several postal issues that have been plaguing the region
Representatives Budzinski and Sessions joined Bell for the tour, which was led by Postmaster General Steiner
Congressman Bell has been outspoken about postal issues in the St. Louis region and recently introduced the St. Louis Postal Accountability and Reform (STL Up To PAR) Act
Residents of the region have complained about mail delays that have impacted prescription medication, bills, ballots, and more
Congressman Bell: “We’re not here to criticize what is going right, we are here to figure out how to fix what is going wrong”
Washington, D.C. — Today, Representatives Wesley Bell (D-MO-01), Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13), and Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Operations Chairman Pete Sessions (R-TX-17) toured the United States Postal Service (USPS) St. Louis Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC) to better understand some of the postal issues impacting the region.
Postmaster General David Steiner led the tour. Steiner has been serving as Postmaster General since May 2025.
“We’re not here to criticize what is going right, we are here to figure out how to fix what is going wrong,” said Rep. Bell following the tour. “This isn’t a partisan issue – mail delays aren’t dictated by your political allegiance, which is why it is so important that these issues are being addressed in a bipartisan fashion. I look forward to working with Chairman Sessions and Congresswoman Budzinski to fix the postal problems people are facing here in St. Louis and across the nation.”
Congressman Bell has made it a priority in Congress to address the postal issues in the St. Louis region. Two audits by the U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General (OIG) in 2025 found longstanding operational challenges that have caused persistent mail delays for residents across the St. Louis region. To address some of the issues detailed in the report, Rep. Bell introduced the bipartisan St. Louis Postal Accountability and Reform (STL Up To PAR) Act, with Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO-02). The bill directs USPS to submit a report to Congress on mail and package delivery service performance in the St. Louis region. The legislation is not designed to penalize USPS, but to give both Congress and constituents a clear picture of where things stand and where work remains.
In a June Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Operations hearing with the Commissioners of the Postal Regulatory Commission, Congressman Bell spoke with the Commissioners about how to address the mail delays in the St. Louis Region. Commissioner Ashley Poling agreed that there are gaps in accountability for addressing systemic mail delays like those identified by the USPS OIG.
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