WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet and Colorado U.S. Representatives Joe Neguse, Diana DeGette, Jason Crow, and Brittany Pettersen congratulated David Steiner on his appointment as the 76th Postmaster General of the United States, and stressed the need for continued oversight and collaboration with Colorado communities.
“As you begin your tenure, we urge you to prioritize improving service for Colorado’s rural and mountain regions that rely on the Postal Service for essential needs. Over the past several years, our offices have repeatedly raised concerns about deteriorating postal service in Colorado’s mountain and rural communities. Residents have experienced unacceptable delivery delays, staffing shortages, facility issues, and a lack of communication from USPS leadership,” wrote the lawmakers.
The lawmakers highlight that many communities in Colorado rely solely on local post offices for everything from receiving prescription medications to voting by mail.
“We invite you and Chair McReynolds to visit Colorado to meet with local officials, USPS employees, and residents to understand the challenges our communities face. We believe your leadership offers a valuable opportunity to strengthen USPS’ relationship with Colorado, and we look forward to working together to make that happen,” concluded the lawmakers.
The text of the letter is available HERE and below:
Dear Postmaster General Steiner and Chair McReynolds:
Congratulations to Postmaster General Steiner on your appointment as the 76th Postmaster General of the United States. We look forward to working together to ensure the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) provides accessible, reliable service to every community in Colorado. As you begin your tenure, we urge you to prioritize improving service for Colorado’s rural and mountain regions that rely on the Postal Service for essential needs.
Over the past several years, our offices have repeatedly raised concerns about deteriorating postal service in Colorado’s mountain and rural communities. Residents have experienced unacceptable delivery delays, staffing shortages, facility issues, and a lack of communication from USPS leadership. Many of these communities lack home delivery and rely entirely on their local post offices for everything from receiving prescription medications to voting by mail. In some cases, these local facilities are at risk of closure or are operating under severe financial and staff constraints.
We also urge you to focus on USPS’ responsiveness to outreach from local governments and the constituents we represent. In many Colorado communities, local leaders have made repeated attempts to communicate with USPS about urgent issues, such as expiring building leases, repeated mail theft, or interrupted delivery, only to receive limited, delayed, or no response. Increased transparency will be critical to building trust with these communities.
To that end, we invite you and Chair McReynolds to visit Colorado to meet with local officials, USPS employees, and residents to understand the challenges our communities face. We believe your leadership offers a valuable opportunity to strengthen USPS’ relationship with Colorado, and we look forward to working together to make that happen.
Unfortunately, service is bad everywhere as the USPS prioritizes work hours like never before. It may never get any better with the type of management they have.