WASHINGTON, DC – Today, in response to U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen’s (D-NV) questioning during a Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing, Ashley E. Poling – a nominee to the U.S. Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) and a current PRC Commissioner – revealed that Postmaster Louis DeJoy did not provide the Commission with data or information on the mail services delivery impacts of proposed changes to local mail processing and distribution centers, like the one in Reno. She also praised Senator Rosen’s bipartisan bill to increase oversight over the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) by pausing proposed postal network changes until the Postal Regulatory Commission can confirm that such changes will not harm mail service.
As a member of the committee that has jurisdiction over the USPS, Senator Rosen has been leading the efforts to protect postal operations in Nevada. Last month, she introduced bipartisan legislation with Congressman Mark Amodei (R-NV-02) to stop USPS from implementing its plan to relocate outgoing mail processing from Reno to Sacramento. Earlier this year, Rosen held a press conference with Governor Joe Lombardo where they reaffirmed their strong, bipartisan opposition to the proposed downsizing and relocation of outgoing mail processing by the United States Postal Service. Senator Rosen, along with Governor Lombardo, Senator Cortez Masto, and Congressman Amodei, also sent a bipartisan letter to the USPS Board of Governors expressing their serious concerns with the plan to downsize and relocate part of the operations from Reno to Sacramento.
Below is an excerpt from Senator Rosen’s questioning:
Senator Rosen: Either before or after the USPS announced it would attempt to proceed with the downsizing of the Reno P&DC – despite opposition from Nevada’s congressional delegation, our governor Joe Lombardo, and Nevada residents – did Mr. DeJoy provide the commission with any specific data on how his proposal would – these changes to Reno’s P&DC – would impact service delivery times in northern Nevada? And, if the USPS asserted that service delivery would not be impacted, did Mr. DeJoy or his staff provide written justifications explaining how this could be possible given the substantial impediments to on-time delivery his plan would be creating?
Ashley Poling: Thank you, Senator Rosen, and I greatly sympathize and understand why you’re so frustrated. I worked for rural senators right on this committee for years and constantly was working to hold the postal service accountable. So, I appreciated our conversation in the staff interview as well.
Senator Rosen: Yeah, people rely on the mail in our rural areas. Our veterans, our seniors. It’s really important.
Ashley Poling: I absolutely agree, 100 percent. In terms of that, you’re asking about the specifics of if that information was given to the commission by Mr. DeJoy?
Senator Rosen: Yes.
Ashley Poling: No. We do not have that specific information. I will say this, and again I actually know that you are a sponsor of the newest legislation with Chairman Peters over here. One of my favorite provisions of that legislation is asking the postal service for making sure they’re giving us the data we need in an advisory opinion. That is essential. You’re right. And right now we have an open PI docket on the Delivering for America plan. We are able to ask a number of questions, but I do believe we can probably have access, with or without this legislation. I think we will have more ability to get those answers through an advisory opinion because it is a more formal process. But I just wanted to additionally say I think that is a really great piece that you guys put in that legislation, that you all put in this legislation, and I really think it would benefit us in our oversight.