Washington, DC – Congresswoman Harriet Hageman signed a letter to President Trump, led by Congressman Jack Bergman (MI-01), calling on the President to suspend the USPS’s “Delivering for America” (DFA) plan, citing its harmful impact on rural and remote communities. Hageman and her colleagues expressed serious concerns over how key elements of the plan have created significant delays and inefficiencies, particularly for rural Americans who rely heavily on USPS for essential services.
“USPS has a fundamental duty to serve all Americans, including and especially those in rural and remote areas,” said Rep. Hageman. “Unfortunately, the so-called ‘Delivering for America’ plan has resulted in substantial delays for U.S. citizens. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy failed in his responsibilities, creating unnecessary disruptions that hurt the very communities that depend on the USPS the most. We must hold the USPS accountable and ensure Wyoming receives the same reliable mail service as everyone else.”
Background:
The DFA plan, introduced in 2021, was intended as a 10-year strategy to address USPS’s financial challenges and operational inefficiencies. However, the plan’s facility consolidations and the Regional Transportation Optimization (RTO) initiative will disproportionately affect rural communities. Centralizing smaller processing facilities into regional hubs has resulted in mail being carried longer distances, sometimes across state lines, before being delivered locally, significantly delaying mail delivery timelines. The RTO, piloted in various locations nationwide, eliminated afternoon mail collection at post offices over 50 miles from these regional hubs resulting in worsened service performance in rural areas and increased costs by over $7.1 million, according to a report from the USPS Inspector General.
