NEWPORT – Residents and businesses across Orleans County are facing significant disruptions in mail service as the United States Postal Service (USPS) continues to implement its ambitious Delivering for America (DFA) plan, a comprehensive 10-year overhaul launched in 2021. This, coupled with the lack of employees, has delayed local mail delivery, in some cases up to two or three months. While the initiative aims for financial sustainability and improved service, concerns are mounting over its effectiveness, particularly in rural areas like Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, where customers continue to wait for mail sent from the same town they live in.
The nationwide service disruptions, which have attracted attention from national media and members of Congress, are increasingly impacting postal customers in Orleans County and other rural areas throughout Vermont.
The DFA plan, introduced under former Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, aimed to reverse a projected $160 billion loss, achieve a 95 percent on-time delivery rate, and invest $40 billion in workforce, infrastructure and technology.
